Snowed In
by Mr.Wyrmthief
Summary: Applejack and Rainbow Dash get stuck together in the Apple family cabin when a freak snow storm prevents them from leaving during a weekend get away. Alone. As time passes, the two begin to learn things they never knew about eachother... And themselves. Appledash shipping. Humanized.
1. Prologue

Snowed In- A Humanized Appledash Fanfic- Prologue

"It is looking like a beautiful, sunny weekend for all of you fine folks heading out to the mountains this weekend!" the voice from the radio buzzed loudly throughout the small town home. "A wonderful chance to strap on those skis and explore the beautiful mountain sides."

A pearly smile spread across the listeners thin face, as she rummaged through her carefully packed bag; a set of delicate fingers checking off the final items from the list. The room filled with music as the radio began playing the newest hit tunes, and Rainbow Dash bobbed her head to the heavy beat. A quick glance to the left revealed that it was almost time to go.

"Awe, yeah!" Rainbow Dash zipped up the backpack sized parcel and tossed it to the front door. "This weekend is going to be perfect! I can't believe I'm spending the whole weekend with the gang in the mountains, and it was so nice of Applejack's family to let us use their cabin."

A loud knocking suddenly emitted from the entrance of the house, echoed by the very recognizable accent of a certain farm girl.

"Rainbow, you in there? Ready to go?"

"Speak of the devil," the rainbow haired tom-boy muttered to herself, before rising from her seat. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

With a confident stride Rainbow Dash approached the door, unlocking and pulling it open. Before her stood Applejack, her signature Stetson hat resting atop a head of golden hair that reached down just past her shoulders, done up in a tight pony tail. A worn, ripped, and patched up pair of blue jeans and a button up checkered shirt made up the girl's wardrobe.

"Really mixing it up, eh cowgirl?" Dash laughed as her friend entered.

"Yeah yeah, whatever Dashie," Applejack glanced around as she entered. "Your parents home?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Ah've never met 'em," the farm girl approached a wooden desk, atop of which a photograph stood; Rainbow Dash as a young girl, with two figures standing behind her. "Seems like they're always outta town or somethin'."

"They're..." she heisted, picking up the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Busy. Travel a lot."

"Must get lonely," Applejack waited but received no answer. "You remember to pack a swimsuit?"

"Why would I-"

"Outdoor hot tub."

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash turned, and made way to her room in search of a bathing suit.

While waiting for her friend's return, Applejack took the time to admire her surroundings. Despite their many years of friendship, AJ had never really spent much time in the household. It was small. Quaint. Not fitting of Rainbow's loud personality in the slightest.

"C'mon Rainbow, the girls are waiting on us!"

"What?" the voice called from the opposite side of the house. "Why?"

"You're driving up with me," Applejack dangled her keys for emphasis. "Flutters, Rarity, Pinkie and Twilight are driving up in Rarity's Jeep, but we have to get to the cabin before them or else they'll just be locked outside! I have the only key to the place."

Emerging from her room, Rainbow once again neared the entrance, a two piece bathing suit in her hands; the suit itself colored in rainbow stripes. Applejack's giggles filled throughout the entire house.

"Well, at least it matches that crazy hair of yours!" Applejack turned and made her way outside. "Alrighty then, lets head out."

"Right behind you."

"Shouldn't ya turn off that radio?"

"Nope," Rainbow spoke with an evil smirk as the door closed behind her. "My parents hate it when I leave it on."

"Ah will never understand you."

Side by side the two friends made their way towards the large red truck parked outside, hearts held high and full of excitement for the days to come. However, back inside, the radio was beginning to play a different story. The vacant house quieted as the buzzing music came to a halt, and the voice returned, with not a soul around to hear it.

"I've got some bad new for ya, folks. It looks like a freak snow storm is making an appearance over the mountains! To any of you planning a weekend escape, this radio man highly recommends that you reconsider."


	2. Chapter One

A strong country beat blasted into the eardrums of Rainbow and Applejack as they made way for the cabin, seated happily in the farm girl's new truck. It was not Rainbow's first choice of music, nor her second, or third for that matter. In fact, the rainbow haired girl disliked country quite a bit, but despite her many arguments, Applejack refused to change it. Eventually, Rainbow gave in.

"So," Dash propped her head against the dash board in front of her. "You still going steady with that boy from school- oh, what was his name again?"

"Ya mean Big Mac's friend, Robert?"

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow feigned disinterest. "The one with the funky accent, right?"

"Nah, we split up a little bit ago," AJ kept her eyes focussed ahead as traffic was beginning to thin out, the boarders of the city growing ever near. "Having a boyfriend was kind of draining, and I think he liked me a lot more then Ah liked him!"

One of Rainbow's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "How much did you like him?"

"Ah didn't," Applejack chuckled. "Big Mac set us up. Said I needed to start datin' or some nonsense."

"Yeah, well, boys are lame," Rainbow turned her gaze to the cityscape, speeding past them and transforming into a sea of wheat as they reached the country roads.

"So," Applejack peaked over at her friend. "It's safe to assume that you and that DJ, err, Vinyl are still together?"

"Nope, we split up as well," Rainbow sat up straight in her seat, focussing on something in the far off distance, and avoiding the farm girl's eye contact.

"What happened? I thought you really liked this one?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ooh, wait, let me guess!" Applejack rubbed her chin for a moment, and then began shooting out her assumptions. "She dropped too many wubs? She scratched your favorite record? Ooh, ooh, you gave her half of your sandwich and she broke down in tears! Or... or... maybe..."

After a moment of silence Rainbow Dash turned, finally making eye contact and staring into AJ's deep emerald orbs. "She cheated on me." Rainbow turned back to the window.

"Oh... Ah'm sorry, Sugarcube."

"Yeah, well, just don't tell the girls."

"They're going to find out eventually, darlin'. Why not come out of that little closet of yours and just tell them? I mean, what's the worst that could happen. They're your friends, they'll understand."

Rainbow sighed deeply before answering. "No way. Not yet. Are we there yet?"

"Quite a ways to go, Sugarcube. How 'bout you close those pretty eyes of yours and I'll wake you when we're close?"

Reaching down to pull the seat leaver, Rainbow reclined back as far as the seat would let her. "Sounds good to me. Just don't admire my body too much, ya hear?"

"You're dreamin'."

"Will be soon, hopefully," Rainbow adjusted and squirmed until she had herself facing once again towards the window, and away from the farm girl.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Nope," the tom-boy's eyes slowly slid shut. "Just dandy."

The big red truck began to rumble as it turned off of the main road, and onto a rough gravel trail. They were getting close. In the not so distance stood a proud mountain range, each mountain twisting and arching into the sky in it's own, unique way. Beyond the steep cliffs the cloudless sky was just beginning to twist, and morph, as the sun sank into the horizon.

Applejack shook her head vigorously as her eyelids began to droop. She had been driving for hours straight, to make up time. The others had stopped to eat in a small town along the way, and Applejack saw it as an opportunity to ensure she and Rainbow made it to the cabin first. Three empty cups of coffee littered the floor at her feet, but they had done little to keep her focused. Yawning, the farm girl glanced to her right, where Rainbow's shoulders rose and fell with each calm breath.

"Gosh," Applejack muttered to herself. "It's not everyday ya get to see the infamous Rainbow Dash lookin' so peaceful. With the way she always runs around, on and endless surge of adrenaline, Ah was beginning to think she wasn't human at all. However, she just might be."

"Might be?" Rainbow's voice was sudden, and had a teasing tone to it. Rolling over, she revealed with open eyes that she was not asleep at all. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A light red hue filled Applejack's cheeks, as she quickly turned her attention back to the road. "Ah thought you were asleep!"

"Nah," Rainbow rose, stretching her arms and legs as far as she could in the cramped vehicle. "I tried, but I guess it's harder then I thought to fall asleep while on the road. I'm used to my super cloud-like bed."

"That so? Ah always pegged you as the type who could sleep anywhere."

"I usually can, but lately..." Rainbow hesitated, and Applejack caught a glimpse of the girl's worried expression from the corner of her eyes. "Anyways, are we almost there? No offense, but your choice in music isn't exactly cool enough for me."

"As a matter o' fact, we're only a few more minutes away."

Rainbow Dash diverted her eyes to the window, and was taken back by the scene around her. The truck bounced along down the gravel road, surrounded by a thick forest. However, instead of greens, and the usual bright colors of the wilderness, the scene was dominated by a blanket of white. Like powder, snow covered everything in sight, glistening in the waining sunlight above. It was like something from a picture book; perfect, and un-touched by mankind, the only sign of disruption being the gravel trail they followed.

Applejack continued, "Have ya heard anything from the girls?"

Reaching into her pocket Rainbow Dash pulled out, and glanced at the dimly lit screen of her cell phone. "No service."

"Me neither," Applejack spoke worryingly. "Well, Ah'm sure they ain't too far behind us anyways. Once we get to the cabin we'll just 'ave to settle in and wait for em'."

Turning her attention back to the wonderland outside, Rainbow spoke. "It's so beautiful here. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Ya better get used to it, Sugarcube," Applejack chuckled. "For the next three days, this is home! Well, this and those snowy mountain slopes of course."

The truck continued it's way up the mountain path, turning left and right, until finally after one last turn, the cabin came into sight. The building was not large, nor was it small. It was average, exactly what Rainbow was expecting. Instead of the typical, brown wooden walls, however, the Apple Family Cabin was built of red wood, giving the place an ominous, innocent feeling. All around the cabin large trees towered high into the sky, their branches embracing the home as if it was part of them.

"Well, there she is," Applejack grinned at the sight of Rainbow's awe filled expression. "My home away from home. Whad'ya think?"

Quickly glancing back and forth between the cabin and her friend, Rainbow composed a false expression of disinterest. "Well, it's alright, I guess."

"Wait till ya see what it's like on the inside."

The truck slowly pulled to a stop, Applejack swinging her door open and stepping out onto the thin layer of snow. Rainbow Dash was quick to follow. The crisp, chilly mountain air hit Rainbow like a slap to the cheek, and bit into her bare forearms hungrily. Before she had time to react, a strong chill was already running up the girl's spine, causing her whole body to shiver. Her first breath in felt as of her lungs had developed a coating of ice.

"Holy Pegasus!" Rainbow thrusted her hands into pockets of embracing warmth. "It sure is chilly out here! Please tell me we're going inside right away."

Rainbow approached the back of the cherry red vehicle, where Applejack happily unloaded, and tossed the tom-boy's bag to her. Grabbing her own luggage and leaving their ski equipment behind, AJ led Rainbow towards the front door.

"Don't worry," Applejack called back to her friend. "You'll get used to it, and we can start up the fireplace right when we get in."

With a satisfying click, the door swung open.

"Sounds great," Rainbow Dash followed her friend thankfully through the door way and away from the frigid outside.

The interior of the cabin was much like the exterior; red walls, roof, and flooring. However, it was decorated. At first glance, the place seemed like an antique, from some time long past. On the left of the entrance way was an open room, presumably where the Apple Family ate, and spent their evenings in front of a large stone fireplace on the opposite wall. The room was dominated by a large carpet that spanned the entire floor, it's thread tinted from age and use. A set of shelves was lined with various board games Rainbow had never heard of, and old magazines. Opposite the entrance spanned a hallway, along which were four more doors.

"This place seems ancient..." Rainbow kicked off her sneakers and moved in for a better look. "I like it!"

"Ah thought you would."

"So," Rainbow advanced deeper into the hallway. "Where should I drop off my stuff, and settle down until the rest of the gang gets here?"

"There are only three rooms," Applejack walked into the family room, flicking on a small radio. "And there are six of us, so we'll have to double up. Just throw your stuff into whatever room ya'd like."

Approaching the first room on the right, Rainbow pushed the door open, and entered. A single bed rested opposite the door, a skylight built in over head. Besides a small work desk, the room was bare, and in the dim light Rainbow could make out little of the details.

"This one it is," Rainbow called out to Applejack, and threw her bag onto the small bed. In Rainbow's opinion, it was nowhere near big enough for two people to share. Her room mate was getting the floor. "Is there a light switch or something?"

With a soft click, the room was lit by a single light bulb hanging from the roof. The blanket, the carpeting, the desk and even the walls were very similar in color; A light orange.

"Good choice," Applejack passed by Rainbow and dropped her luggage beside her friends. "This here is my room."

"You're getting the floor."

"We'll see."

As the two stared each other down, the recognizable voice of the radio man cut into their silence.

"-ust in, a major avalanche has cut off all traffic into the Equestrian mountain range. No reported injuries as of yet, though officials say it may be days before the debris is cleared, and traffic is allowed passage again. To those in the mountain area, officials say to stay put until further notice.

"This is your voice on the radio, hoping you enjoy our next few songs," and with that, the cabin filled with a soft melody.

AJ and Rainbow exchanged worried glances.

"You don't think..." Rainbow pulled out her cell phone. No service.

"Of course not!" Applejack made her way into the hallway, glancing through a window and down the gravel road. Empty. "I'm sure they'll show up any minute now. They couldn't have been that far behind us. We just have to settle down, and wait until they show up."


	3. Chapter Two

Snowed In- A Humanized Appledash Fanfic- Chapter Two

The crackling of a hungry fire begged to be fed, it's warm glow casting across the carpeted room. Licks of flame danced rapidly back and forth, creating a battle of light versus shadow across the faces of the two quiet girls as they stared into the wondrous light show. An earie calm had fallen upon them hours ago, and neither did anything to break it. They simply waited; warm mugs of hot chocolate in hand, listening to the same several songs repeated time and time again over the weak radio.

Raising the mug to her lips, Rainbow took a small sip of the sugary substance before once again lowering it, and peaking to her left to see Applejack doing the same. They sat side by side, cross legged on the old carpeted floor. For a moment Rainbow opened her mouth, preparing to speak, but quickly decided against it and returned to her drink with a heavy sigh.

"They ain't comin'," Applejack's eyes darkened as she spoke. "Are they."

"Nope," Rainbow took another sip, her cup coming worryingly close to empty. "Doesn't look like it. They must have gotten stuck behind the avalanche."

"Well, that's just perfect."

As the current song came to a close, the oh so familiar voice of the radio man returned.

"Good evening, listeners!" the two turned to the device, hearts eager to hear what it had to say. "And what a lovely evening it is. I'm here with an update on that nasty avalanche! ...and it ain't looking good, not at all."

The friends exchanged worried looks, before turning back to the radio.

"Looks like it'll be at least a few more days before that nasty debris is moved. I recommend any of you folks holed up and stuck in the mountains enjoy tonight, as it may be the last nice night before the storm hits, and you have no way out. Remember to stay tuned, as the situation progresses, and I wish you all the best of luck! Up next we have the sweet melodies of the one and only, Frank Sinatra!"

And with that, the music began. Stretching as wide as she could, Rainbow stood, and began a slow walk back to her room without a word.

"The storm?" Applejack called out to a rainbow. "What storm? What was he talkin' about? And where are you going!"

Rainbow disappeared into the room, but not before shooting a quick pearly grin Applejack's way. Silence. AJ sat, no idea what was going on, as she waited for some sort of response from her rainbow-haired friend.

Nothing.

"Rainbow? This ain't funny!" Applejack stood. "Rainbow!"

After another moment Rainbow returned, grinning even wider. She was planning something. The Tom-boy advanced towards Applejack slowly, her hands held behind her back, where the farm girl couldn't see them. As she grew closer, AJ began to back away hurriedly.

"Now hold on," Applejack cautiously watched her friend's advance. "What have ya got there? This better not be some kind of prank! I swear, Rainbow, if you-"

In a blur of motion Rainbow lifted one of the arms up into the air, and threw something forcibly at the panicked girl. Applejack screamed, ducking down to the carpet and raising her hands instinctually above her head. She waited for whatever Rainbow had been planning, but it never came. Instead, the soft touch of fabric landed gently against her palms.

Daring to look at what it was, Applejack was surprised to find a checkered red and white bathing suit. Her bathing suit. Slowly, she rose her eyes to meet Rainbow's, the magenta orbs full of excitement, as if something amazing was about to happen.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Applejack pushed herself up from the carpet.

"You heard him!" Rainbow smiled. "We've gotta get out there and enjoy tonight, before this storm hits!"

"What are you-"

"The hot tub!"

"Are you crazy?" Applejack laughed at the idea. "It's the middle of the night, and if I remember correctly you were the one complainin' bout how cold it was outside."

"That's why it's a 'hot' tub," Rainbow wicked. "Besides, just because the girls aren't here doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy our selves, just you and me. Let's make the best of tonight, together," Applejack's cheeks reddened at Rainbow's words, and Rainbow smirked a sly, evil grin before continuing. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I assure you I meant as friends."

With a deep sigh, Applejack turned around, glancing out the set of glass walk-in doors that led from the family room to the patio, to where the large tub waited. The sky was painted a deep black, and the trees swayed peacefully in the evening breeze. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. It could be fun, even.

Rainbow was right, they did need to have fun! With a new confidence to her movements, AJ turned to give Rainbow her answer, and just in time to see her friends pants hit the ground.  
"Ah!" Applejack spun in place, facing against the wall. "Sorry!"

Despite her best efforts to forget what she saw, and squinting her eyes closed hard, the image lingered in Applejack's thoughts. Such slender legs, lightly tanned and toned.

Rainbow muffled laughs as she spoke. "For what? We've been in the same gym class forever, you've seen me get changed before."

"Yeah, but... we're alone."

"So?" Rainbow sighed. "You're acting strange, AJ. But whatever, I'm done."  
Turning once again, Applejack stared at her friend. Rainbow had the body most girls dreamed of; thin, yet somehow muscular. With only the two piece bathing suit covering her body, AJ couldn't help but find her eyes beginning to wander.

And that's when a new feeling dawned upon the girl, like nothing she'd experienced before.

Applejack's heart beat heavily against her chest, as if trying to escape, to be closer to Rainbow Dash.

"You feeling alright?" Rainbow moved closer, placing a soft hand against Applejack's forehead. "You're looking pretty red."

"Ah'm fine," AJ spoke quickly, taking a step back, despite her conscience screaming at her to step forward instead. "Just dandy!"

"If you say so," Rainbow smiled, and passed by AJ to open the patio door, an icy wind sweeping in after her. "Just don't take too long, or I'll get awfully lonely."

It was a strange sensation, sitting in the bubbling water of the outdoor tub. It was as if a war was being waged, a war of hot versus cold. Above the water's surface the night's breeze was like a flurry of angry wasps, stinging into Applejack's exposed shoulders and neck, while below was a salvation of warmth. It was painful, the conflicting temperatures fighting for supremacy, and yet it was somehow simply enchanting. The farm girl didn't mind one bit.

Judging by Rainbow's blissful expression, her head tilted back and eyes gazing into the bright star filled sky, AJ guessed she didn't mind it so much either. On any other occasion Applejack would have been perfectly happy, just sitting there in silence and enjoying the night. But, for some reason...

"Beautiful," Applejack spoke before she realized she wanted to. "isn't it?"

"Mhmm," Rainbow's eyes slid shut.

Once again, silence. But Applejack wouldn't give in that easily. Some inner emotion encouraged her to keep trying.

"Uhh," Applejack searched her mind for something, anything to say. "What's on your mind?"

Mental face palm.

"Honestly," Rainbow dash took in a deep breath of chilly air. "I just love how peaceful it is out here. I mean I know, we're stuck and stranded, and alone without rescue and all of that but... I mean... I don't really know what I mean."

"Ah think I understand."

"It's like all of my troubles are simply washing away."

"You, troubles?" Applejack laughed out loud this time, trying to imagine the carefree Rainbow Dash actually worried about something. "Ah figured you kinda just ignored everything the world threw out you, like it was all just another big challenge!"

"Everybody has their problems, AJ."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack's curiosity was getting the best of her, and she scooted a little closer to the rainbow haired girl. "Like what?"

Slowly, one of Rainbow's eyes slid open, spotting the farm girl as she approached. In the veil of shadow, Applejack couldn't see the evil grin spreading across Rainbow's face.

"Well," Rainbow spoke in as serious tone as possible while holding back her excitement. "Sometimes I worry about how you're going to get back at me."  
"Get back at you? For what?"

Rainbow's head lowered as she turned to her friend, eyes wide and mouth agape. "You don't know?"

"Know what!"

Rainbow leaned in closer to Applejack, preparing to whisper something into her ear. Applejack's cheeks once again reddened, and she was thankful for the night's cover. Rainbow's mouth slid open, preparing to speak as her warm breath made contact with AJ's neck, sending goose bumps up the blonde's spine.

"I'm worried that you'll want to get even..." Rainbow whispered. "After this."

Applejack's mind began to spin. However, before she had time to jump to any foreign conclusion, a small wave of steaming hot tub water made contact with her face.

"Augh!" Applejack fell back in confusion, loosing her footing and slipping beneath the water's surface.

For a moment everything seemed to stop. The warmth was overwhelming, intoxicating, and for just a split second the farm girl wished it could last for ever. Before she knew it she was gasping for air and listening to the hyena like laughing of the Rainbow girl.

"Not funny!" Applejack coughed and wiped her eyes, already plotting her revenge. "You are so dead!"

The night air assaulted Applejack's wet skin with a new ferocity, taking advantage of her perilous condition. Turning to see where Rainbow had gotten off to, Applejack prepared to splash back. But she stopped. Before her Rainbow stood perfectly still, staring up into the sky.

"Rainbow?"

"Look!" The evil mastermind pointed straight up into the air, and Applejack followed with her eyes.

It was snowing.

It wasn't like they had never seen snow before. Every year it would snow for months atop their home town, and they never had second thoughts about it, but this was different.

The tiny flakes of white drifted peacefully down from the sky, each dancing back and forth to it's own little melody in the wind. Soon, the white dots were surrounding the two friends, disappearing upon contact with the tub and peacefully touching down upon bare shoulders. The blend of falling snow and steam raising from the hot tub was bizarre... And beautiful.

"Wow."

"Yeah... wow."

For a moment it was silent again. Applejack continued to stare awe fully into the sky, but Rainbow couldn't help glancing over to the farm girl from the corner of her eyes. She was so close. Rainbow was able feel the warmth of Applejack's neck when she had leaned forward to whisper to her. She could have leaned just a little farther... And yet instead she almost started a water fight.

She was so close, yet felt so far away.

"Achoo!" Rainbow's body jerked violently as she sneezed, almost stumbling back into the water herself. She had forgotten how cold it was, but a spine tingling sensation shooting through her upper torso quickly reminded her. "You know, as beautiful as it is out here, it's getting 'really' cold."

"Agreed!" Applejack made her way towards the house, stepping out of the tub and onto the patio, but not before wrapping a warm towel happily around her shoulders.

Rainbow followed suit. Side by side they rushed across the icy deck, into the house, and slid the glass door shut behind them. Their fire, still strong, granted immediate relief. But something was wrong. The glass door had been securely closed, and yet a an icy breeze penetrated throughout the house.

"Rainbow!" Applejack squirmed beneath the icy assault. "Did you leave the bedroom window open!"

"No, I-" Rainbow cut off her speech abruptly, her eyes wide in the direction of the main entrance.

Applejack felt her heart stop as she heard the raspy sound of heavy breathing behind her. She slowly turned to see what had Rainbow so frightened. Half of her expected to see the silhouette of a man with a knife, eyes full of rage, standing in the open door way. Half of her hoped it was only a wild bear. But once she saw it, part of her she wished for the bloodthirsty man.

The main door had been swung open forcibly; the lock broken. The wind howled loudly as it assaulted the house, and in the dim light of the full moon Applejack could only make out a shape. The shape of a human body, shoulders rapidly raising and falling, lying face down on the blood-stained crimson carpet.


	4. Chapter Three

Snowed In- A Humanized Appledash Fanfic- Chapter Three

"R- Rainbow?" Applejack's voice shook as she whispered into the athlete's ear, delicate, bony fingers tracing her thighs.

The bedroom was dark, lit only by stray strands of moonlight breaking through the cloud cover above. Despite the icy snowflakes that fell against their bodies, Applejack couldn't help but think about how warm she felt, as if her body was covered in small flames. Above her Rainbow Dash was a dark silhouette in the night, heavily pressing down against AJ's frame.

"Yes?" Rainbow lowered her lips to Applejack's collar bone, leaving a small trail of kisses up the side of the blonde's neck. "Is something wrong?"

Yes. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong, but Applejack couldn't quite place it. Between the weight of Rainbow's body upon her own, and the raspy breaths escaping her own mouth, the farm girl could barely think straight. A light nip on the ear caused her whole body to jerk, enticing a light giggle from her assaulter.

"I..." Applejack forced herself to ignore the wandering fingertips as they traced her hips. "How did we get here?"

"We came right after our relaxing hot tub adventure," said Rainbow as she brushed lips with her friend, pulling a heavy gasp from AJ's lungs. "Your heart sure is racing."

"No! That's wrong!" Applejack fought back in frustration, attempting to push Rainbow from on top of her. "Something distracted us!"

"Something?" Rainbow ignored Applejack's struggling, furthering her furry of kisses across the girl's shoulders. "Like what?"

"Like..." Applejack's body struggled to resist her temptation. "Like..." Her mind was beginning to go blank, filled with thoughts of the rainbow-haired athlete.

And then it hit her.

"Like a body!"

Suddenly everything stopped. In the blink of an eye the delicate snowflakes morphed into a horrifying blizzard, smashing down against the house with deadly force, and the door to the bedroom shot open like a bullet, revealing a deadly figure. Broad shoulders, raising and falling in heavy succession as the figure grew closer with heavy and forceful steps. In it's hand, a wicked looking knife.

Rainbow's screams were cut short as the knife found a new, fleshy sheath.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Blood trickled down the rainbow haired girl's pale skin, and fell onto Applejack below, each drop a hot coal on her body, burning to the touch.

...

...

Applejack's scream split the silence of the homely bedroom as she shot up from her sleep, drenched in sweat and fear. Her body felt as if it was on fire, and in a panicked flailing she quickly found herself free of the constraining blanket. But she was alive. And safe. And the disgusting smell of blood no longer lingered in the air.

A dream.

Applejack's heart pounded like a hammer against her chest as she took in her surroundings. Her bedroom. A quick glance around the room revealed that everything was as it should be.

As the frightened girl began to calm down, her senses began to regulate. The first thing she noticed was the constant pounding of the blizzard, testing the house's durability. Slowly her breathing evened out once again. Just a dream...

"Applejack?" Rainbow's voice pierced the darkness. "Is something wrong?"

After a mighty fine debate, Applejack was the one who claimed ownership of the bed, Rainbow resorting to a makeshift mattress of blankets on the carpet floor. It was from her resting place that Rainbow peeked over the mattress, at her mess of a friend. Across Rainbow's face was still plastered the silly expression of a sleepy girl rudely awoken.

"Just nightmares," Applejack slowly crawled to the end of the bed, making her way onto her feet. Behind her, Rainbow did the same.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to go check on our... guest," Applejack started making her way for the door, but a firm grip on her wrist demanded her to stop in place.

"Apples," Rainbow spoke in the same way a mother would to a frightened child. "This must be the tenth time tonight. He's not moving. The man is out cold."

"But-" Applejack began to speak, but couldn't find the words.

Images of the body flooded her mind. Crimson blood, thick and pungent. Heavy, raspy breaths, begging for life to hold on just a little longer. The large, bear-like figure of a man out for blood and, of course, the large gash across his lower neck, blood pooling like a fountain around his face-down corpse. Last, but certainly not least, the wicked, jagged, bloody knife held in tight grasp.

The farm girl, despite the strong face she always put on around her friends, as if nothing in the world could bring her down, began to shake. Violently. Before Applejack had time to speak, or do anything at all, Rainbow had released the tight grip of her wrist, and instead wrapped two strong arms around Applejack in a warm embrace.

Despite her best efforts, Applejack's fears got the best of her, and salty tears began to roll down her cheeks in streams.

"Shh," Rainbow whispered lightly. "It's all right. It was just a nightmare."

Slowly, keeping Applejack held tight, Rainbow made her way over to the girl's bed, escorting Applejack, and as calmly as possible, seated the farm girl on the edge of the mattress. And there they sat, wordless for some time, Applejack crying her heart out into Rainbow's shoulder.

"It's not just a nightmare..." Applejack cried. "It's real! He's real! And... Alive."

"He can't hurt you." Rainbow's fingers brushed through Applejack's golden hair soothingly.

"But-"

"He can't hurt you." Rainbow's grip tightened, forcing Applejack's head into the cradle of the sporty girl's neck.

"I-"

"Shut up."

That seemed to do it. Wordlessly the two friends remained there, still, quiet, contempt. It took a moment for Applejack to recognize where she was, but soon, as she noticed the touch of Rainbow's fingers on the back of her neck, AJ's heart began to quicken yet again. With each heavy, calming breath the unmistakable scent of Rainbow Dash crept into the farm girl's head.

She was so close. Applejack could feel her lips brushing against Rainbow's neck, and it shot thrills through Applejack's spine! But why?

"Come on," Rainbow whispered before standing, and forcing Applejack to do so as well.

"Where are we going?" the farm girl already missed the scent, but would never admit it.

"Well," Rainbow loosely grabbed Applejack's hand. "Seeing as you keep waking me up every time I close my eyes, I figure there's no point in going back to sleep, so I thought you and I could spend a little quality time together."

Even in the shadowy bedroom, AJ knew that across Rainbow's face rested a sly smile. She was thankful that Rainbow Dash couldn't see the cherry red blush forming on her freckled cheeks.

"I-" Applejack was speechless. "You- but- huh?"

"Hot chocolate," Rainbow spoke, ignorant of Applejack's less innocent thoughts. "In front of the fire. Come on, we can pull an all nighter, and you won't have any more of those nasty nightmares."

Without waiting for an answer, Rainbow turned, and made her way into the hallway, pulling Applejack along behind her. Both were careful to step over the crimson stain leading from the front door to the next bedroom over on their way into the living room.

The room was exactly how it was left hours ago. Several bowls of tainted water littered the kitchen counters, bloody rags resting in each. The first aid kit placed above the sink had been all but emptied as Rainbow Dash attempted to tend to the man's wound, whilst Applejack prepared one of the bedrooms with spare sheets that could get a little messy. Even after the lapse of time, an irony sting still lingered in the air to assault Applejack's nostrils, though Rainbow seemed to hardly notice.

The fireplace still burned on several embers, luckily, running as the only source of warmth in the blizzard-forsaken cabin. While Rainbow maneuvered her way through the messy kitchen, Applejack re stocked the fire with a fresh supply of wood. Before long the sweet smell of chocolate dominated the lingering blood.

"Ah'm sorry," Applejack called across the room, not willing to make eye contact with Rainbow.

"Don't be," Rainbow laughed back. "Who needs sleep anyways."

The living room seemed off to Applejack. For so many years she had visited this cabin, and each year it was always the same. Until now. What bugged her most was the eerie silence, filled only by the constant assault of an angry snow storm. Turning to the old antique radio, Applejack flicked it on.

"Good eve... to all of ...ne folks out ..ere!" the radio voice cut in and out of it's excited speech. "And what an evening it is... This ...st in, th... ... ... ... and officials are sayi... ... ... ... ... ..t's all fo... ..."

Static. Of course.

"The radio's out, huh?" Rainbow Dash made her way over to the fire and placed the two steaming cups onto the carpet. "No matter, we'll just have to enjoy each other's company. Which really shouldn't be so hard, with someone as interesting as you."

Applejack turned to see her friend, noticing her strange pajamas for the first time. Typical for Rainbow Dash, she wore a bright cyan sports bra, with matching undergarments, poke-dotted in tiny rainbow colored lightning bolts. Applejack fought to stifle a giggle.

"You get comfortable," Rainbow motioned to the carpet in front of the fire. "I'll be right back."

Applejack happily did so, crossing her legs before the fire and cradling her hot chocolate in her hands. The flames, taking form across their new source of fuel, licked hungrily at the wood. Warmth radiated from the fireplace, wrapping like a blanket around the farm girl's chilly shoulders. Staring deep into the relaxing flames, Applejack's eyes glassed over with thought.

What was with those nightmares? She understood the fear of death part, with the knife, and the wounded man. But what came before... Her cheeks reddened at the thought of Rainbow Dash. Why was she thinking such things!

Deep in thought, AJ didn't even notice Rainbow's return until the Rainbow haired girl dropped a heavy blanket across Applejack's shoulders.

"You were shivering," Rainbow placed her plot next to AJ's on the carpeted floor, picking up her own chocolatey elixir of deliciousness. "You okay?"

Applejack turned to see a set of wide, worried magenta orbs staring back at her. Rainbow wasn't simply asking to be polite, but rather seemed to be legitimately perplexed as to her friend's condition. It only intensified the farm girl's already dominating blush.

"I'm..." Applejack paused to take a sip of sugary goodness, and to pull her eyes away from Rainbow's. "Yeah."

"Nightmares, huh?" Rainbow downed a swig of her own steamy beverage of awesome.

"Yeah."

"So," Rainbow nudged Applejack's side lightly. "Why don't you tell me about them. Maybe I can help?"

Applejack coughed in surprise, almost releasing the contents of her mouth into the hungry fire. No. Oh God, no!

"Applejack?"

"My nightmares..." AJ cursed silently to herself. She always was a terrible liar. Maybe, just maybe if it were someone else she would be able to make something up, but Rainbow had known her for too long. There was no fooling her. "I don't really know how to describe them. I mean, they always ended with that man... Breaking into the bedroom, and..."

Applejack felt the pinch of tears on her eyes, but she forced them back. A soft hand fell upon the centre of her back, supporting and soothing.

"And what?" Rainbow pushed the question farther, and Applejack knew she wouldn't give up on it.

"Well, he had a knife," AJ whispered the words. "And- and he came in, and..."

"Stabbed you?"

"No," Applejack laughed a little under her breath, realizing that the conversation was going to get really weird really fast. "He stabbed you..."

"Me?" Rainbow scooted a little closer as Applejack began to shake again. "I was in your dream?"

"Yeah."

"What was I doing in your dream?"

"You, uh..." AJ could swear her cheeks were on fire as she diverted her eyes to the other side of the room, as far away from Rainbow Dash as possible.

"Come on," Rainbow rested her arm across Applejack's shoulders to stop the farm girl from avoiding her. "You can tell me. I won't bite."

"I don't know how to explain it." Applejack thought back to the light ear nibble in her dream.

"Come on," Rainbow wiggled her way under the blanket with Applejack, and put on a puppy dog face. "Pleeeaaase tell me?"

Sighing heavily, Applejack turned to face her friend. She was so close.

"You really want to know?" Applejack's heart quickened as she planned her next words- or rather, actions- carefully.

"Yes!" Rainbow's pout morphed into an excited smile.

But Applejack really didn't know how to explain it. The way Rainbow's fingers traced her body, and the thrill of hot breath on her neck. No, there was only one way to really show Dash what her role was in the nightmare.

Taking a deep breath in, Applejack reached a hand up the broad of Rainbow's back, finding a comfortable hold on the back of the rainbow haired girl's head.

"Apples," Rainbow spoke cautiously. "What are you-"

But Applejack didn't give time for Rainbow to finish her sentence, as that would mean time to second guess her decision, and she would have none of that. Quickly, and without hesitation, Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash forward, meeting her best friend's lips with her own.


	5. Chapter Four

Snowed In- Chapter Four

The police station was eerily quiet, though one would suspect that at three in the morning it would be so. The lobby was large, and resembled a clinic more then a place of law. The buzzing, fluorescent tube lights that stretched from one end of the room to the other. The snow white walls, and tiled floor. However, one would not suspect the station's lobby to be filled with some dozens of people, impatiently waiting for so much as one comment on the current situation. The issue at large, of course, was the avalanche blocking the one and only pass into the mountains where family and friends were stranded, lost in the freak blizzard.

"I-I hope they are alright..." Fluttershy spoke in a worried whisper, eyes fixed upon her clasped hands in her lap. "That storm is getting worse by the minute."

Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Rarity took in the words of their worried friend, grim expressions conquering their faces. What if the radio reports had been right, and the blizzard would soon become a deadly force of nature. What if the road could not be cleared in time to send help. What if they couldn't find their friend's bodies...

"Please dear," Rarity crouched before her pink-haired friend, locking eyes before continuing. "I'm sure Applejack and Rainbow Dash are fine. They are probably fast asleep, or simply resting in front of a warm and cozy fire, waiting for us to arrive."

Pinkie chimed in happily, "That, or they're making out!"

The three others stared wide-eyed at the party girl. If someone else had said it, then maybe they would have considered it possible. But Pinkie? Well, she was just being... Pinkie. Who knew what went on in her head.

"Pinkie," Twilight giggled, "that's crazy! Those two are more likely competing over who gets the bigger bed- not sharing it!"

"Could happen," Pinkie shrugged.

Twilight, sighing heavily, turned back to Rarity. "Where are the police already? This is preposterous!"

And then, as if on cue, the large set of double doors at the far end of the room creaked open, silencing the few idle conversations. Standing in the doorway were three officers, advancing into the waiting room. Judging by the large black circles bagging beneath their eyes, and the slouch of their backs, the officers were exhausted and surely were not getting rest any time soon. They quickly spread out into the room, calling the names off the lists each officer held.

The officer closest to the group of friends spoke. "Is there a... Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight's face lit up like a heavily decorated house on Christmas Eve. "Oh, that's us- I mean, me. Have you uncovered anything?"

The officer's shoulders fell, and he sighed heavily. He seemed to be the youngest of the three, and the least experienced. His short cropped blonde hair and pristine uniform screamed newbie. His nametag read Brennan.

"Look." Brennan's face was full of grief. "I'm going to tell you what I've told everybody else. If your friends are really out there in that blizzard then there is virtually nothing we can do for them at the moment. Just pray that they are safe, and that they can last this blizzard out."

Fluttershy's eyes began to redden, while Rarity drifted deep into thought. Pinkie... well, Pinkie was off in her own little world, leaving Twilight to continue conversation with the bearer of bad news.

"That's it?" Twilight did not try to hide her disappointment. "Hope?"

The officer rubbed his eyes and yawned before addressing the question. "Look, something very serious has come up. Our forces are stretched thin as it is. I promise, we are doing the best we can."

"What..." Twilight said. "What kind of serious?"

"It's not something you need to worry yourself over." Brennan was like a record on repeat. "Just know that we are doing-"

"Everything that you can," Rarity joined the conversation, furrowing her brows at the officer. "We get that." The fashion queen moved forward, placing a hand on the cop's shoulder and switching to a look of weakness and desire. "But please, if our friends are in danger we simply must know! You understand, don't you?"

Rarity battered her eye lashes several times, and a red hue developed across the officer's cheeks. Before the man spoke Rarity already knew that she had won.

"I..." Brennan panicked, trying to look anywhere but at the Purple haired girl before her. But he couldn't help it. Wherever he looked, she moved into his line of view. "Well alright, but listen close!"

The man lent forward to whisper, and all four friends neared in hopes of catching what he was about to say.

"We think," the officer's voice trembled slightly, "there may be a dangerous man in the woods. A very dangerous man. We were trying to put together a search when the avalanche buried all of our plans. The man could be anywhere by now."

Fluttershy, unable to hold back any longer, found salty tears to be rolling down her tender cheeks. "Our friends..."

The cop continued. "I'm sure your friends are fine. That's a big mountain range, and he is only one man." The man paused for a moment, before continuing. "Never the less, try to keep contacting them. The more we know, the better."

"Thank you," Rarity smiled. "It means a lot to us."

Turning back to the crowd, and allowing his eyes to drop to his list, the officer spoke over his shoulder. "My pleasure."

The friends stood for some time, unknowing what to do. As the officers made their way throughout the crowd people began to head home, while others adjusted to find a comfy spot on the chairs, determined not to leave the station until they saw the smiles of their lost loved ones. Pinkie Pie was the first to break the silence.

"Soooo," the party girl rocked back and forth on her heals, hands clasped behind her back. "What now?"

"Now..." Twilight sighed. "Now we wait."

Pinkie, seemingly unfazed by the situation, pulled a deck of cards from her jean pockets. "Anyone up for a game of Comet Surfing Monkeys from Outer Space?" The peppy girl received only three blank stares in response. "...Fine. Go Fish it is."

Rainbow's eyes shot open as the sweet taste of apples danced across her lips. Tender, and smooth; the light touch of her best friends lips against her own. Applejack's eyes remained closed. It was as if all time had stopped, and out of shock Rainbow inhaled hard, her body becoming rigid and confused. Her best friend's lips against her own.

And then it was over, as quick as it started. Applejack sat back again, and when her eyes finally opened, they focused on the dwindling fire. A red hue filled her cheeks.

Rainbow Dash, mind numb and full of confusion, forgot she was still holding her hot chocolate. Her firm grip dispersed, allowing the heavenly beverage to fall, spill, and be wasted upon the cabin carpet.

"Sorry!" Rainbow panicked, reaching for the cup as it emptied it's contents. By the time she managed to grab it only a few drops remained within the container. "I just- I-"

A strong finger, placed upon the rainbow haired girl's lips, shut her up quickly.

"Shh," Applejack smiled sweetly. "Not a problem. Ah got it."

The farm girl stood without so much making eye contact, and made her way into the kitchen to grab some cleaning rags.

Rainbow sat, her thoughts becoming wild spirits rushing around the inner shells of her mind. What had just happened? Had she really kissed Applejack- or rather, been kissed by her? Had she gone mad? "Uhm... Applejack?

"Mhmm?"

"I... Why?"

"You asked." Applejack returned to the stained carpet, spraying it down with some foreign cleaning product and working it out with a wet cloth. She still refrained from making eye contact. "And Ah didn't know what t' tell you."

"But..." Rainbow's brow creased at a new thought. "You said it was a nightmare, right?"

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks, hand hovering over the fresh stain. Tilting her head just enough to meet Rainbow's eyes, she spoke. "Not that part."

A silence filled the room for a moment. However, despite the seriousness of the situation, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but release an enormous yawn. Applejack giggled at the girl's silly expression.

"Tired?" Applejack placed the cleaning products on the floor, and reached out to wrap the fingers of her left hand delicately around Rainbow's own. Rainbow simply nodded.

"Well then," Applejack pulled Rainbow to her feet, and closer then intended. "Ah s'pose Ah'm responsible for makin' sure ya get a good sleep, seeing as Ah was the one who awoke ya?"

Applejack didn't give Rainbow time to answer. She didn't want to know Rainbow's opinion; not yet. She only had one chance, and would not let herself back out yet. Turning, and pulling Rainbow along behind her, Applejack moved back into the dark embrace of her bedroom.

However, all was not quite right in the small cabin. As one bedroom door creaked closed, another slowly cracked open, a single eye peeking out from the darkness of his bedroom and into the living room. Despite the sharp pain in his body, the man pushed forward, emerging from his temporary clinic and into the warm embrace of the fireplace, a wicked smile plastered below his wide, excited eyes.

His plan had worked.

If only the two girls had stayed awake for another moment, they may have been able to retaliate. They might have caught sight of the man as he tip-toed across the carpeted floor and into the kitchen, slowly checking each drawer until he found what he wanted. A knife. A wicked instrument of death. But no, they were too busy re-enacting the opening to a certain apple farmer's nightmare.

"I've had enough of this!"

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle watched in horror as Rarity threw her cards to the ground before crossing her arms across her chest with an unsatisfied huff. They had been playing Go Fish for nearly two hours, and it was starting to grain down on all of them. Except Pinkie, of course. She would have gladly continued to play for the rest of the night.

The waiting room had cleared out quite a lot since when the police made their first announcement. Now only few remained, littered around the waiting room and doing their own business. As far as thy could tell, little to no progress was being made.

"So am I," Twilight quipped. "We all are, but there is nothing we can do about it. Not with that avalanche in the way. We just have to wait this one out, Rarity, and as much as it pains me to say it... we really can't do much for Rainbow and Applejack now.'

Officer Brennan had the unfortunate duty of tending to those in the waiting room, and from across the room, he could just barely make out their conversation. He turned his attention to the disagreement.

A sneaky smile crept around Rarity's face. "But that's where you are wrong, Twilight!" Rarity reached into her pockets, and pulled from within the key to her car. "We might just be able to make it. My car is bigger, and can take way more punishment then the vehicles the police use. It's a long shot, but it may just work."

"That-" Twilight paused for a moment, her expression lightening. "That might just work. Do you really think your car can take it though? What if we get stuck out in that blizzard as well?"

Pinkie Pie jumped into the conversation. "Now now Twilight, what have we ever gained from patiently waiting for the 'authorities' to help! This may be our only chance to get to the girls before that creepy murderer does! Is that really something worth waiting on?"

"I..." Twilight turned to the kind girl sitting silently, spinning her thumbs in thought. "Fluttershy?"

The animal loving girl looked over at the sound of her name, and took only a second to compose her answer. "We have to give this a shot, for Applejack and Rainbow! I can't imagine how horrified they must be, stuck in that storm with no way out. We simply have to go! I mean, you know... if you girls agree."

"It's settled, then." Twilight's eyes sparkled with determination. "Let's go bring our friends home safe and sound!"

Together the four of them turned towards the exit, making their way back out into the icy morning air. However, if one of them had taken the time to turn around, they may have noticed the police officer know as officer Brennan tailing close behind them, watching to see what they'd do next.


	6. Chapter Five

Snowed In- Chapter Five

Montgomerey was the man's name. The knife weighed heavily in his hand; heavier then he knew it should. Montgomerey stood alone in the small cabin's living room, each breath a stabbing pain in his lungs as his shoulders rose and fell heavily. He'd lost more blood then planned. Maybe he went a little bit too far with the whole 'faking his own injury' plan. Maybe he went more than a little too far. Montgomerey's plan was falling apart, and the dizzying sensation in his head was doing little to help.

He needed sleep, and recovery. In his current state there was a chance that, even with his favored weapon, he could lose a confrontation with his prey. Looking around the small room, across the crimson-stained carpet and blood bathed counters, Montgomerey knew that he had lost much more blood then planned.

The nauseating sensation that swam through his head was doing little to help. So much planning, all leading to this moment, and his plan was falling apart. He needed to lie down. To rest. To re-plan.

His hands shook with anger as Montgomerey came to the conclusion that he had lost- and to himself none the less! He had been foolish. But there was still time. The blizzard outside pounded angrily against the Apple Family cabin, and showed no intention of loosening any time soon. Time was in his favour. There was no way the authorities would dive into a blizzard like this, right?

No.

A sly, crooked smile formed across Montgomerey's face and he dropped the knife back into its cupboard, and turned back to his temporary room, his body shaking violently. He longed for the hunt; the screams and the struggling; but now was not the time. For now he would rest, in happy anticipation of what was soon to come.

After all, his 'saviours' had nowhere to run. All they could do was unconsciously await their pending doom.

. . . . .

Applejack's heart beat like a thundering drum against her chest. The moment the bedroom door had closed behind the two friends, they had stopped dead in their tracks; time for second guessing.

The farm girl took a deep breath in. Then out. No; it was now or never.

Tightening her grip on Rainbows hand she took a step forward, towards her welcoming bed. Then another. And another, her closest friend in tow.

"Wait," Rainbow's voice cut the deafening silence like a hot knife through butter, and once again Applejack was frozen in place, heart planning its escape from her chest. "Applejack… what are you doing?"

_Now or never,_ the farm girl thought, taking another step forward, ignoring the question and pulling a reluctant Rainbow forcibly. In the darkness of the room she could only make out shapes, but lucky for her, she had memorized the room after many years of experience with it. The way the roof had a slight curve to it, and how, if left alone for too long, the room would acquire a faint smell of pine. The way an old family photograph hung lopsided above AJ's desk, and the exact placement of each and every creaky floorboard, which there happened to be quite a few of. The way her bed would fold around her when she dropped onto it, like an old friend giving a goodbye hug.

In truth, she couldn't answer Rainbow's question, for she had no answer to it. Applejack had no idea what it was that she was doing. Her heart raced, and each step forward felt like she was wearing lead boots, her mind spinning with unanswered questions. _Now or Never._

Applejack had reached the bed, and with another quick tug of Rainbow's hand the two fell onto its heavenly embrace; Rainbow had fallen on top of her friend.

"Kiss me?" Applejack whispered, a begging tone to her voice.

Neither girl could see one another, neither did they feel the need to. Body language gave their thoughts away. Applejack's fingers scratched along Rainbow's back, the latter too confused to move at all. Instead, the rainbow-haired girl just hung her shoulders in defeat.

"Applejack…" Rainbow began to pull away.

Immediately a pair of soft hands wrapped around the back of Rainbow's head, diving into her hair hungrily and pulling her back down on top of her friend. "Please?"

"Stop," Rainbow commanded, and Applejacks grip loosened slowly before her hands slid out of the rainbow mane, and flopped onto the bed beside her lifelessly.

Once again the room was bathed in silence. Rainbow Dash remained above AJ, her eyes desperately trying to adjust to the lack of light. For what seemed like a lifetime they remained like statues, simply waiting. Then, abruptly and loudly, a sniffing broke the silence. Rainbows stared in awe as Applejack stifled further outbreaks of emotion. Slowly, carefully, the athletic girl shifted her weight onto her left hand, and placed the other upon AJ's cheek. The farm girl happily moved into the warm touch, pointedly facing her eyes away from Rainbow's own.

Before Applejack could react, Rainbow Dash ran her thumb just below the girl's eye. It was wet to the touch.

"You're crying."

"No, Ah'm not."

"Yes," Rainbow lowered her head to meet Applejack's, their lips momentarily brushing, causing the blonde to inhale sharply. "You are."

Applejack once again turned her face to the wall, mumbling under her breath. She couldn't see it, but Rainbow was about 20% sure that a red hue had filled the farm girl's cheeks.

"Don't you grumble at me," Rainbow flicked Applejack's nose playfully before rolling from her position above the girl, and pulling her best friend into a tight hug, Applejack now on top. Somehow Rainbow managed to get the two of them beneath the blanket covers, both happily accepting the new wave of warmth. AJ couldn't help but notice how close Rainbow's lips were to her ear, and the way Rainbow's breath danced across her neck each time the girl exhaled. "Apples, are you okay?"

"I-" Applejack paused, unable to lie to someone she cared for so dearly. She tightened her hug around rainbow, burying her face into the other girl's nape. "No. I just… I wanted to make you happy- and- I thought…"

To AJ's surprise, Rainbow chuckled lightly, her chest's bouncing causing AJ to bounce with it. "Do you know what would not make me happy?" She didn't give Apples a chance to answer. "A one night stand."

"Ah wouldn't-"

"Are you sure?" Rainbow's hands playfully traced Applejack's spine, slowly lowering to her waist. "You've been under a lot of stress lately, and people tend to do crazy things when under the influences of stress." Rainbow wrapped her fingers around the base of AJ's t-shirt. "Don't get the wrong idea," with a quick tug Applejack's shirt slid easily up, revealing her bare back to Rainbow's wandering hands. "I'd really like to, but… It's different for me."

Applejack's eyes shot up to meet Rainbow's, her brows crooked unhappily. "How so!"

"Because," Rainbow kissed the other girl's forehead with a slight giggle. "I've had a crush on you for a while." Applejack was definitely blushing now. "I know my feelings for you are very, very real. But… it's possible that you're just looking for an escape, with all that's going on. You said it yourself; it was a nightmare that provoked you into kissing me, right?"

AJ looked away sheepishly, before muttering quietly, "that part was a dream."

The two welcomed the silence for a moment, but this time it was neither awkward nor hated. Instead, Applejack took the time to once again tunnel her face into the crook of Rainbow's neck, taking a deep breath in. It was clear that Rainbow didn't wear perfume or false scents at all. What Applejack smelled was pure Rainbow Dash, and the farm girl loved it. It reminded her of… a campfire. Warm, chasing away the darkness of the night, and giving off an aura of peace. Laying there in Rainbow's arms, Applejack felt there was nowhere in the world she would rather be.

"My point is," one of Rainbow's hands found its way into Applejack's golden hair, soothingly massaging the girl's scalp, while the other continued to map out AJ's lower back. "I don't want you to do something you may come to regret one day. Even if a good majority of me is shouting to take advantage of the opportunity and make you moan my name all night long."

Applejack's cheeks practically radiated red in the dark, her heart skipping a beat. Not fair, Rainbow. In a momentary act of blind revenge, AJ bit lightly on Rainbow's neck, hoping for a pained yip, or 'ouch' in response. Instead, Rainbow's hands tensed, holding Applejack tight against her as a muffled moan escaped her lips.

"Not kool, AJ," Rainbow sighed, "it's hard enough to resist ya already."

Again, silence, most welcomed. Their eyes were finally adjusting to the light, and Applejack could just make out some of the details of Rainbow's body; thin, muscular, perfect.

"Rainbow," AJ found herself kissing the girl's neck again. "Ah'm sorry… I didn't mean to tempt you. Thank you for thinking about me and all, but… will ya make me a promise?"

"Depends on the promise."

"When 'all this' is all over," Applejack wondered what 'all this' was, "if Ah still wanna give us a shot, can I?"

"Yeah," Rainbow smiled warmly. "I'd like that."

"Thank you."

It was as if a heavy load had been lifted off of their shoulders as the two held each other contently. Like a chapter of a book had come to a close, and the next adventure would await until morning to show itself. Of course, as Rainbow began drifting to sleep, she realized the world just couldn't be so kind to her.

"Ummm…" AJ poked Rainbow's cheek, causing the rainbow-haired girl to peek one of her eyes open lazily.

"Hm?"

"Can we still make out a little?" Applejack nibbled at Rainbow's neck. "I mean, you already stole my first kiss."

And just like that, all thought of sleep was wiped from Rainbow's conscious.

"I stole it?" Rainbow mock angrily pushed Applejack away, much to the latter girl's sadness. "It was kind of forced upon me." Rainbow looked down into Applejack's wide, teary, puppy dog eyes, somehow glowing a beautiful emerald green even in the darkness… "Oh fine. I suppose I can teach you a thing or two."

"…and can I be on the bottom?"

Rainbow smiled, sliding her hands down to AJ's hips and maneuvering until she found herself above the farm girl once again. "Fine." Rainbow preferred being on top anyways.

"And…" Applejack's voice grew timid, her eyes lowering down past Rainbow's eyes. "Can I play with your boobs… if you can even call those little mounds boobs…?"

If anyone else had said it, Rainbow would have punched them out cold. Somehow, though, the tone in Applejack's voice suggested that Rainbow's body was exactly what she wanted. Rainbow found herself to be the one that was blushing for once. However, the multi-colored-haired girl decided that Applejack didn't deserve to get an answer- at least, not an audible one. Sitting back onto AJ's lap, Rainbow sat up tall, and removed her shirt before leaning back overtop her 'best friend'.

"Yay!"

So much for not getting physical.

. . . . .

In retrospect, maybe it wasn't the best idea, but it was the only idea that they had, and they sure as hell were not going to sit back and wait for the blizzard to clear. The large jeep, white in color, was like a ghost in the night, blending in with the blizzard around it, angry winds pounding against the vehicle as it struggled forward. All around the vehicle the howls of the blizzard filled the night in deafening waves of sound; inside the vehicle not a sound was to be heard.

Behind the wheel was a stone faced Rarity, eyes ever vigilant on the nearly invisible road ahead. Behind her were Pinkamina Diane Pie and Fluttershy, eyeing the landscape in amazement.

"I…" Fluttershy whispered, breaking the stalemate in their unannounced version of the quiet game. "I can't believe this is actually working."

Pinkie jumped on the opportunity to speak. "Of course it is silly Willy! No natural force can stand against the power of our awesome friendship! Together, we are un-beatable!" Pinkie, caught up in the excitement of the moment, thrust a clenched fist into the air in a dramatic expression of her feelings.

Even Rarity cracked a grin at her friend's obnoxious behaviour. Twilight, however, her gaze fixed upon the item held carefully in her hands, did not even stifle a giggle as Pinkie began to rant about the 'magic of friendship' or something ridiculous like that. No, instead the bookworm found herself lost in thought as her eyes unfalteringly examined the 9mm pistol, held like a fragile glass figurine in the palm of her hands.

"You can't stop us!" Twilight's voice echoed in her mind from a conversation not even two hours prior, taking place between herself and one Officer Brennan. "We're going after our friends!"

The officer had followed them to the parking lot, and as Rarity's jeep roared to life, approached them, demanding Twilight spoke to him.

"Stop you?" Brenan's voice still seemed fresh in Twilight's memories; still had the hint of a laugh behind it. "No. Help you." The officer unclipped something from his belt, and held it out to Twilight. His firearm. "It is the least I can do. My job is to help people, and yet…"

He needn't explain himself. The purple-haired girl understood perfectly. He couldn't come with them- he was needed at the station- but he felt the need to do something; anything! Just like Twilight and the gang felt the need to ride into the blizzard in search of their friends. Twilight took the weapon, and it felt cold in her hands; the same way she imagined a corpse would.

"Thank you," the words were still on her lips.

Rarity broke the recollection as she addressed her girl beside her. "What was that, darling? Thank me for what?"

"Rarity…" Twilight glanced to her left, making eye contact with the stunning young woman. Her grip on the pistol tightened, her fingers sliding into the neat grooves. "We'll find them, right? And they'll be okay?"

"Of course, darling," Rarity smiled a smile that could melt a frozen heart, and turned her attention back to the wall of snow before her. "Like Pinkie said… there is not a force in the world that can stop true friendship."


	7. Chapter Six

Snowed In- Chapter Six

Rainbow had awoken many a different ways throughout her life. However, never in her life had she been awoken by the sweet whispers of a lover, a gentle kiss upon her lips, and the lingering smell of bacon in the air. That is, until now. If the athlete had to choose her single favorite morning of all her life, this would have been that morning.

"Mornin', sunshine," Applejack jabbed a finger against Rainbow's cheek, the latter girl rolling into a more comfortable position on the farm girl's bed. AJ spoke with a gleeful chime in her voice that sent chills up Rainbow's spine. "C'mon, darlin', rise 'n shine!"

Applejack sat at the head of the bed, continuing her poke assault against Rainbow's cheeks as the sporty girl struggled against her half-heartedly, unwilling to open her eyes. After several minutes of constant assault, however, Rainbow finally gave in, turning to face her friend. If you can't beat em', join em', right? In this case, get them to join you. Reaching up and wrapping her arms around AJ's neck, Rainbow pulled the farm girl onto the bed beside her.

"See, Apples?" Rainbow giggled. "Isn't that comfy? Don't you just wanna go back to bed again? Just a few more minutes?"

"But Rainbow," Applejack placed a light kiss on Rainbow's cheek. "The bacon will burn."

One of Rainbow Dash's eyes slid open and fell upon Applejack's bright pearly smile. In the early morning light she was even more beautiful than Rainbow remembered.

"Bacon?"

"Bacon."

All traces of sleep forgotten, Rainbow tackle-hugged Applejack out of the bed and onto the cabin floor. "Oh, how did I ever get by without you?" Dash squeezed the hug tighter, receiving a light squeak from AJ, before letting go and allowing the farm girl to get to her feet.

Applejack stepped away from the bed-haired Rainbow Dash and towards the doorway into the hallway, a slight sway to her step, no doubt on purpose. "Now Rainbow," Apples glanced back just before exiting the homely bedroom. "Don't keep me waiting long." With a quick wink the golden-haired beauty disappeared into the kitchen.

Despite the allure of bacon, it still took Rainbow several wide armed stretches and yawns before she gathered enough will power to push herself from the somehow really comfortable floor. Getting up, though, was not the hard part. The hard part was locating her bra in the mess of a room. Pillows and blankets decorated the floor like little lights on a Christmas tree, and if she didn't know better Rainbow would have thought a tornado had hit the room the previous night.

"Dammit."

Rainbow began picking through the mess. The best she could find was her shirt. Luckily, her pants didn't get far. Despite the chilly air nipping at her exposed forearms, Rainbow thought it would have to do for now. Giving up, she began to make her way towards the living room.

Before Rainbow even made it to the hallway she was hit by a wave of senses that could have taken her off her feet, were she not so excited to get to Applejack's side again. The sizzling and popping of eggs and bacon as they cooked to a golden perfection, and delicious scents that filled all of Rainbow's thoughts. It was perfect. Rainbow couldn't have imagined any way that it could get better; that is, until she saw Applejack.

She stood with her back to Rainbow, humming happily as she danced about the kitchen, experimenting with spices and performing a cooking art that Rainbow could never really understand. Applejack wore her standard cow-girl blue jeans, and signature Stetson hat, but instead of a button-up plaid shirt she had a simple light t-shirt thrown over her slim frame. Dashie liked what she saw. And then she noticed the music.

From the radio, sitting on the kitchen counter, came a simple melody that seemed to be winding to its end. Applejack turned, granting Rainbow a bright smile before the song ended, and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Th- this just in…" the radio spokesman's voice was shaky. "Killer in the mountains. Stick around after the next song for more on our prime story of the hour; the police department comes clean with details of wanted man- one Montgomery Ravest- patrolling the Equestrian mountain range."

And then, without hesitation, the next song began accompanied by a slight static.

An ominous silence filled the room as Rainbow and Applejack made eye contact, a certain farm girl's smile completely wiped away. The silence quickly found a new home inside the small family cabin, whilst outside the wooden walls the blizzard continued its assault. Rainbow Dash would have given her left arm if only to break the silence; however, when finally a noise- a turning of a doorknob from the guest bedroom- split the air, Rainbow quickly realized how much she missed the beloved quiet.

With a high pitched screeching, the guest bedroom door began to open, in an agonizingly slow fashion.

. . . . .

Not a word had been spoken for quite a while in the large van. The constant assault of snow and wind made up for the silence. Even in the early morning sunlight it was a struggle to see where they were going, though Rarity was sure they were still on the road, as they had not hit a tree yet. To either side of the large jeep a wall of forest towered high, the trees unfaltering in the blizzard. Under different circumstances, maybe, the scene could be considered beautiful; peaceful even. Under different circumstances, maybe the four friends wouldn't have been so worried about what lay in wait for them.

Twilight was lost in her thoughts. Rarity was strictly focussed on the road ahead of her. Fluttershy was desperately trying to find distractions for herself in the white world outside the vehicle. Last, was Pinkie, and Pinkie, well, Pinkie Pie was just being herself. One moment she was quietly contemplating something to herself, the next she had shot up from her seat, her large Pin eyes widening in horror. Only Fluttershy seemed to notice.

With a barely audible 'eep' Fluttershy shied away from the girl seated beside her. "Pinkie?" Flutters whispered. "Are… are you alright?"

Twilight, broken from her concentration at the sound of Fluttershy's voice, eyed the rear-view mirror to see what was going on. Pinkamina Pie was sitting straight up, and even her usually puffy cotton-candy hair seemed to have straightened out more than Twilight had ever seen before.

"Pinkie?" Twilight ditched the mirror and turned in her seat to get a better view of her strange friend. "What's the matter?"

Pinkie ignored Twilight and Fluttershy all together, directing all attention to the large Jeep's driver. "Rarity!" the easily excitable girl leaned forward to get closer to the diva. "Speed up, now!

"What?" Rarity finally caught wind of the strange situation. "Pinkie, it is unsafe to be going as fast as we are now! Why would I-"

"Please!" Pinkie begged, her eyes morphing as if she were a starved orphan begging for a slice of bread. "Something is wrong, Rarity, we have to hurry up!"

Twilight's eyes darted between the faces of her friends as Rarity spoke again. "How could you possibly know-"

"Please." Pinkie's demeanor melted into sulking, her eyes watering and lip shivering as the first tear streaked across a baby-smooth cheek.

Rarity was considering the statement heavily, but as the storm continued to grow worse her instincts argued against her reasonability. Silence had fallen over the group of friends, and Twilight could only watch in horror as Pinkie fell into a shell of fear, shaking as if she were about to face her own death. There was no time for considering options, though, not when the lives of their friends were on the line. Besides, as Twilight recalled, Pinkie Pie's 'freak predictions' had never been wrong in the past.

Rarity, fully knowing that either option held both life and death in the balance, turned to Twilight for support. The knowledge-loving girl met her gaze, and with as serious an expression she could hold, nodded once. The jeep began to accelerate, and once again fell deathly silent.

"Don't' worry," Rarity whispered. "We'll be there soon."

. . . . .

The door knob turned, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still as statues as they watched the scene unfolding before them. As it turned, the rusty old thing gave off a slight squeak, though to the ears of the two girls it sounded more like a dozen witches scratching their nails against chalk boards simultaneously, for hours on end. And then, as quickly as it started, the sound was gone; the door knob still. Rainbow let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding whilst Applejack's heart was beating into overdrive.

The silence did not last. After a pause, the door itself began it agonizingly slow opening, accompanied by the cracking of old, worn out hinges. To Applejack, the simple opening of the door was more terrifying than any other moment of her life to date, and as she watched she could feel her ribs tightening in her chest. Her legs shook as the form of a man began to appear behind the splintered wooden door.

And as the man finally revealed himself, two sets of eyes widened in horror at the sight, for it was not nearly what they had been expecting.

A man who's frame filled the doorway completely, and who need bend over slightly to avoid bumping his head on the way out. A man who's eyes were red with hate, and who's icy smile reflected a crescent moon in the midnight sky. A man who could crush either of them beneath his thumb, and laugh as they squirmed. A man who's bony fingers were wrapped tight around a long, jagged knife, and who had the intent to murder in his facial expression.

That's what they had both been expecting, but it was not what now waited before them.

Instead, still as a statue in the open doorway, was a stick of a man who seemed barely able to stand on two legs. He shook, violently, as he took a fragile and slow step onto the hallway carpet.

"Where…" The man's smoke colored wire-like beard parted slightly as he spoke. "Where am I?" With another step forward he stumbled before catching himself on the wall. "What has happened?"

The man then broke into a fit of coughing.

Rainbow stepped forward, some inner urge to help the man fighting to surface. "You…." He seemed so defenceless; so gentle, and harmless. "We…."

The man once again made a move to step towards the kitchen, but stumbled again, this time with no wall to catch him. Rainbow's thoughts screamed 'catch him' but her body refused to respond. To Rainbow's surprise, a certain cute farm girl somehow made it across the room in time to catch the man before he hit the ground.

"Careful, now," Applejack calmly spoke worriedly, allowing the man to prop himself against her shoulder and stand again. "You're still hut." She guided his steps forward past the table, shooting a sympathetic glance towards her rainbow-haired partner. She again spoke to the man in a hushed tone. "Come, sit down. I have breakfast prepared."

The man obliged, and upon reaching the table happily sunk into an old wooden chair. He spoke, shakily. "Thank you, miss. But where am I? Why am I here?"

Rainbow Dash, her body finally responding, found a place at the table opposite their guest as AJ hurried into the kitchen, and made eye contact with the man.

"We," Rainbow started, but paused to consider her wording as her eyes fell to the table. "We were actually hoping that you could tell us. We found you last night, bleeding an unconscious in the entrance way. We did what we could, but…" Rainbow looked up to find the man staring at her as if she had just told him that a loved one had cancer.

Rainbow lost track of her thoughts, caught off guard by the man's sudden heavy breathing and pools of tears forming in his eyes. At last, the man spoke, hushed and horrified.

"Where is my son?"

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. Never had she seen such a heart breaking expression in her life.

Just then AJ returned from the kitchen, silently sliding three plates of food onto the table before lowering herself into the chair beside Rainbow Dash.

Applejack found Rainbow's hand beneath the table, delicately intertwining their fingers befre speaking. "Ah'm sorry. Ah'm so sorry." Applejack's voice began to falter, and Dashie gripped her fingers tightly. "We didn't- we didn't know…"

A tear fell from the farm girl's cheek. Then another. So much worrying, and fighting fear for nothing, when they should have been thinking of their guest, not themselves. How foolish could she have been!

"No," the fragile man shook his head, his eyes sympathetic as they met Applejack's. "No, no no. It is not your fault. You couldn't have known. I just- Where is my jacket?"

The question caught Rainbow off guard, but none the less, she answered. "Hanging by the door, why?"

"I'll be right back." The man quickly pushed himself away from the table and stood, making his way towards the door. Lost in thought, neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash noticed his sudden ability to walk without the slightest stumble, or hitch to his step. Instead, they only saw a quick chance to speak to one another about their developing situation.

"You're right," Applejack whispered to Rainbow. "He can't possibly be the murderer.

"Guilty until proven innocent," Rainbow mumbled back. Despite the man's appearance and demeanor, Rainbow still felt uneasy in his presence, though she couldn't place why. "We can't be too sure."

She could say no more, for the man returned quickly, falling back into his chair. He placed two items on the table; a hunting knife, and a worn leather wallet. At the sight of the knife both Rainbow and AJ stiffened.

"A gift," the man said, eyeing the knife. "Intended for my grandson… that is, before the accident." The man then reached for his wallet, pulling out a photo and sliding it across the table. "This is him."

The image was the spitting image of a much younger version of the man.

"If I may ask," Applejack said. "What happened?"

The question caught the man off guard, but he quickly went about answering it without hesitation. "I took him out into the mountains, camping, for his eighteenth birthday. Then the storm hit us. And then the bear…" he stifled a cry. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."

Rainbow nodded cautiously, her chest tightening. It was time for the moment of truth.

"Of course," Rainbow smiled comfortingly. "We understand, Mr.…"

"Ravest," sighed the man, eyeing the table sadly. "Montgomery Ravest."

Applejack and Rainbow froze, recognizing the name immediately.

Montgomery looked up, his eyes begging for pity, but that quickly changed when he saw their shocked expressions. "What?" He asked, confused as the radio's current song came to an end. "What is it?"

However, the friends never got a chance to answer. As the voice of the radio returned, he answered for them.

"Hello dear listeners!" The voice chirped brightly, drawing Montgomery's attention. "I'm back with more on that killer in the mountains, one Montgomery Ravest! I have here with the police chief to answer some of your many, many questions."

All three of them froze; Montgomery eyeing the radio, and the two friends eyeing Montgomery.

"Well," Mr. Ravest spoke after a moment of awkward silence. "I guess the cat is out of the bag." He turned his eyes towards the girls. "Isn't that unfortunate."

It was strange, how quickly a man could change. One moment Montgomery was the perfect sob story; frail, sick, lost and confused, with a hunched back and a crooked walk. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was a small child's worst nightmare.

Montgomery's back straightened, revealing his full, towering height. A sudden air of confidence enveloped the man, his once stick-like limbs now seeming muscled, and powerful; agile, and young. His sad, teary eyes morphed into a crazed excitement, as if his whole life had been building up to this single moment, and his lips morphed into a wicked, blood thirsty crescent moon of teeth.

Montgomery's bony fingers inched across the table, wrapping around a very scary looking hunting knife.

With snakeish movement the man stood, stretched, and then whispered in the most blood curdling voice possible…

"Boo."

**Authors Note:**

Thank you all so much for reading my story so far! I can't tell ya how much I appreciate all of your kind words and comments :)

Now, the only thing I love more then a nice compliment on my writing is a good, well thought out critiques! I love knowing what I've done poorly, or what I could do better; what my readers do, or don't like about my stories or my writing style in general!

Please, if you have moment to spare, drop a comment, or even better, a critique, for I am a literary vampire, and I feed off of my reviews 3 If ya wanna see more chapters faster please consider making me a very very happy writer :)

Thank you!


	8. Chapter Seven

Snowed In- Chapter Seven

"Boo."

The single word was somehow the most terrifying thing that either Rainbow Dash or Applejack had ever heard in their life. The combination of the blood curdling tone of the word and the sinister, gleeful smile of the man who spoke it sent shivers up both of the girl's spines, and left them speechless.

The very air itself inside the small cabin had adapted to the situation at hand. The vibrant, delicious scents of the morning's meal had given way to the lingering odour of blood that hid in the carpets, and the constant shaking of the cabin windows under the pressure of the once again strengthening blizzard was doing little to ease the situation. The voice of the radio man continued to blabber on, but none of the room's three occupants paid it any mind at all.

Soon the radio man came to a close, and music filtered from the antique box.

"What's wrong?" the man cooed playfully. As he spoke his boney hand crept across the oak table surface, and around the grip of the hunting knife before him. "Cat got your tongues? Come on. Run, scream, you aren't making this very fun for me."

"But…" Applejack's mind raced, failing to process the rapidly changing situation she was in. Montgomery's gaze was a piercing knife into her heart. "Your grandson…. I-"

"Wow, are you gullible!" Montgomery stood with a throaty laugh, and spun to face away from the girls.

He was toying with them, not even giving the courtesy to keep eye contact. Both Rainbow and Applejack took the opportunity to stand from their seats, and begin backing away from the table. While Applejack slowly made her way towards the entrance of the family cabin Rainbow crept silently into the kitchen, never turning from the looming threat at hand. Meanwhile, the man continued to laugh.

"Alright," Montgomery finally stopped his cackling. "Here's the deal. I'm mad. You see, you've gone and ruined my game!"

The man, still facing away from the two friends, chuckled lightly. Rainbow Dash wasted no time though, as she turned to the kitchen counter beside her. There, right where Applejack had left it was one of the knives used to prepare the morning's meal. However, just as she maneuvered to grab it the murderer began to turn and she pulled her hand away. After all, why do anything to anger an obviously psychotic man?

"And here I was, just getting started," Montgomery stared Rainbow directly in the eyes as he spoke, causing the athletic girl to freeze. "But it would be no fun at all to just kill you now. How about we make a deal?"

In hopes of drawing the threatening man's attention Rainbow was quick to respond, keeping their eyes locked.

"What kind of deal?"

Despite her intentions, Montgomery's gaze shifted over to the golden-haired girl making her way towards the cabin entryway. Rainbow Dash was not willing to miss a chance, and while Applejack held the man's gaze quickly grabbed the handle of the sharp cooking knife.

"Well," the murderer's eyes once again shifted to Rainbow, and then down to the knife in her shaky grip. "Don't even-"  
Before Montgomery had a chance to finish his sentence the knife was flying through the air in a collision course with his head.

"Run!" Rainbow turned to Applejack, darting from the kitchen to the cabin's already once broken door. Rainbow did not turn to see where the knife struck, but judging by the dull thud from behind her she knew it had missed.

But it had bought them time… hopefully.

Although AJ and Rainbow had done their best to put the door back together, it had been a rushed job, and the thing was clearly lacking in durability. For the sake of saving time, and getting away from possible death as quickly as possible, Rainbow simply piled through the fragile door with her shoulder and into the frigid morning air.

It wasn't until they were outside that Rainbow and Applejack realized how completely underdressed they were for the weather. The cold hit them like a speeding truck hits a fragile, under-fed squirrel on the highway, practically taking the two off their feet. Their shoeless feet.

Rainbow wore only a pair of baggy blue jeans and her t-shirt, while Aplejack sported a thin pair of plaid pajama pants and a fleece hoodie. It wasn't until Rainbow took her first breath in that she realized the full effects of the blizzard, filling her lungs with icy air that made her choke violently, while Applejack mirrored a similar response to their new environment.

But there was no time to focus on the knife-like pain in their chests, or the tingling numbing of their toes. They had to run. Wrapping her fingers into Applejack's own Rainbow began to pull the farm girl along behind her, breaking into a hardy jog through the snow.

"Come on," Rainbow encouraged Applejack with a tug, and took a quick glance over her shoulder just in time to see Montgomery appearing in the doorway. "We-"

Rainbow cut herself off short as she watched the man lift his arm, and throw a knife in their direction. She followed it's movements with horror as it spiraled through the snowfall and straight into Applejack's leg closest to Rainbow.

AJ Screamed, let go of Rainbow's hand, and fell into the icy embrace of the snow.

"Applejack!" Rainbow was quick to react, leaning down and pulling the kitchen knife from her friend's leg while pulling the farm girl from the ground, and ducking under her arm to support her weight. "Come on, Applejack, we have to go!"

Rainbow half helped, half pulled Applejack forward with her.

Another quick glance behind Rainbow's shoulder revealed Montgomery following, at a slower pace, hunting knife in hand and wicked smile plastered across his thin face.

. . . . .

Rarity's jeep piled through the blizzard, tossing and turning down the narrow road, barely visible under the heavy snow fall.

"Are we there yet?" Fluttershy spoke timidly, eyes focussed on the road ahead.

"For the last time," Rarity spoke, aggravated and trying to concentrate on her driving. "We are not there yet! However, we are getting close."

Twilight's grip on the gun in her hand tightened. "How close?"

Before Rarity could answer, however, a faint scream echoed in the distance.

"What-" Fluttershy muttered, horrified. "What was that!?"

Rarity began to accelerate. "Hold on tight!"

The Jeep thundered forward faster than could be considered safe.

"Fluttershy," Twilight spoke as comfortingly as possible as she turned to face the girl behind her. "I'm sure they are fine. We'll get there, and then we will all hug, and laugh this whole thing over!" She turned to Pinkie. "Right, Pinkie?"  
Instead of responding the party girl simply stared straight ahead, her eyes hollow and scared.

Following Pinkie's distant gaze, Twilight turned to see a sign. Inscribed on it was 'Apple Family Cabin'.

As the situation began to take its toll on Twilight's sanity, she started running through possible outcomes in her head. After all, was it not more likely that the gang would walk in on Applejack and Rainbow Dash happily enjoying their breakfasts, or playing a game of Monopoly, over being murdered by a wanted criminal. Twilight thought so. As the vehicle made the final turn before reaching the cabin, and the old thing came into view, Twilight realized how impossible her hopes were.

The cabin was a perfect picture from a horror movie. The front door had been smashed clean apart, splinters of wood littering the snow outside. The storm had taken its toll on the structure, forcing the roof to bend in most worryingly, and from what she could see from Rarity's vehicle the interior of the cabin was worse off than the exterior.

Before the vehicle even came to a full stop both Pinkie and twilight were out and running towards the broken open front door, Twilight holding her recently acquired weapon close to her chest.

"Careful, Pinkie," the librarian uttered as they neared the cabin. "We don't want to-"

Before she had a chance to finish Pinkie Pie had already disappeared into the entranceway. Twilight followed quick behind her. Upon walking into the front room, however, she was not sure she totally believed what she was seeing.

The first thing the lavender haired girl noticed was the carpet beneath her feet, stained crimson with what she full heartedly hoped was not blood. Next, to confirm her fears were the red-stained rags and murky bowl of water that rested on the kitchen counter top. As if the first two irregularities weren't enough to leave a dozen unanswered questions in her head Twilight next noticed three full breakfast meals on the table, still steaming and untouched.

"What the…" Twilight was stunned. "What happened here?"

She had not a single explanation. Her first guess would have been that their suspicions were true, and that the murderer had indeed attacked the cabin, but why then were there freshly cooked meals, and no sign of whoever made them. And why was there so much blood?

Then, from the bedroom closest to the entrance way, called Pinkie Pie. "Come quick!"

Without a moment's hesitation Twilight turned on her ankle, momentarily forgetting the strange scene before her and bee lining for the bedroom in hope of answers. She received none. Upon entering the room she immediately judged that it belonged to their friend, Applejack, based on the orange decorations and general appeal. What confused her was why the room was in such disarray, clothing and bedding thrown about as if a tornado had hit.

"Called it!" Pinkie smiled victoriously. "They were totally-"

The familiar horrified scream of Fluttershy from outside the cabin cut Pinkie off before she could finish her train of thought, though Twilight feared where it was going. Pinkie and Twilight met gazes for a split second before turning towards the door.  
"Girls!" Rarity called, still outside the cabin. "Come quick!"

Twilight and Pinkie rushed into the cold once again to see Rarity and Fluttershy standing side by side, quite a ways from the house, in the direction three sets of fresh footprints in the snow led. As she stepped from the mild warmth of the cabin and into the morning once again Twilight realized that the front door had not been broken in, but out. They were trying to run away from something.

"Is…" Fluttershy spoke as Pinkie and Twilight approached, backing away and pointing at the snow before her. "Is that blood!?"

Following Fluttershy's gaze the two saw it. A thick trail of red leading into the forest. Despite how fresh the blood looked it was already mostly covered by a layer of recently fallen snow.

"There is even more inside," Twilight expressed greviously. "Lots more." Her heart beat threateningly against her chest as she regretted speaking her next words. "Alright, let's go!"

"Go?" Rarity was taken back. "Go where?"

"We have to follow the yellow brick road!" chimed Pinkie, much too excited considering the circumstances, before continuing in a much more depressing tone. "Or, in this case, the crimson trail of fresh blood…"

"Oh."

Twilight's grip on the pistol in her hands tightened as she realized how real the possibility of having to fire it was becoming. With a heavy, icy breath the gang rushed forward into the blizzard, with only a trail of blood to guide them.

. . . . .

Rainbow had been in more favourable situations.

She had lost all feeling in her feet several minutes ago, after falling into a hiding place behind a rather large pine tree, and her fingers were on a quick path to join in said numbness. Only a light tingling remained to remind the athlete that they were still there at all. Slumped in the snow she sat, awaiting whatever hellish curve ball her life decided to throw at her next. Without the adrenaline pumping through her veins Rainbow was sure she would have been out cold already.

Before her, in the snow, was a bloody kitchen knife pulled from the leg of her closest friend. To her right said mentioned friend had fallen weakly into the snow, unable to support her weight any longer and instead had her back resting against Rainbow's shoulder. Oh, all the things that had gone wrong, and it couldn't yet have been ten in the morning.

On the bright side, the man hunting them down for fun was nowhere to be seen.

"R-Rainbow?"

Rainbow looked over to AJ, who despite her tough girl façade was in very poor condition. The large gash on the farm girl's left thigh had been covered and wrapped tight by one of Rainbow's pant legs, cut off just below her hip with the help of the very tool that had inflicted the injury. Rainbow's right leg was also a might bit chilly, to say the least.

"I'm here, Apples," Rainbow spoke in a tone as to say 'everything will be alright', but she knew it was a lie; it was just a matter of time. "How badly does it hurt?"

"That's the thing…" Applejack muttered, her voice giving away her fear. "It- it doesn't hurt at all. I don't feel a thing."

"It's okay, I've got you," fighting back tears Rainbow pulled the girl into her lap, close to her chest, and used an arm to support her golden haired head. Maybe Rainbow still had some warmth in her to give, but she doubted it. "I think we lost him. I'll keep you safe, okay?"

No response.

"Applejack?" Rainbow placed a hand on the farm girl's cheek, forcing AJ to look at her. Applejack did not look like she was in pain; instead she looked frighteningly tired.

The wounded girl nuzzled into the warm hand on her cheek. "Uhh… mhmm? Did you say something, Dashie?"

"Please," Rainbow's battle not to cry was a lousy one. "Stay with me, AJ…. You can't leave me now, not after I've just fallen in love with you!"

Rainbow pressed her lips against those of the girl beneath her, but couldn't tell if Applejack was kissing back because she returned the feeling or because Rainbow's tongue was warm.

"You- you can't do that to me!" the first tears finally broke across her face. "It's not fair!"

Just then, as Rainbow knew was eventually coming, she heard a voice that belonged to neither her nor Applejack.  
"Peek-a-boo."

Rainbow Dash's spine shook at the blood curdling delight in Montgomery's introduction. Applejack seemed to barely notice the foreboding threat as her eyelids threatened to slide closed for good.

"Where aaaaare yoooouuuu?"

"Rainbow?" Applejack whispered, clinging onto consciousness with all her will power. "I'm scared."

"Don't' worry," Rainbow slowly ran her fingers through AJ's hair one last time before lowering the girl from her lap and onto the bloody snow. She reached forward and wrapped her numbing fingers around the kitchen knife's handle as tight as she could. "I'll protect you."

The crunching of snow behind them grew louder as Montgomery approached.

"I'll..." Rainbow searched for the right words. I'll be right back, Okay?"

Gripping the knife tighter, Rainbow could only hope that Applejack was too out of it to realize what she was planning. Of course, she would not be so fortunate.

"What!?" Applejack's whisper demanded attention. "No, you can't-"

Rainbow did the only thing she could do. She silenced the blonde girl with a kiss.

And if it was going to be Rainbow's last kiss, she was glad it would be Applejack. After a moment of holding her lips against the farm girl's Dash pulled away and offered a quick wink.

"I have to try."

Standing was more difficult than Rainbow thought it would be. Her legs begged to give out beneath her, but no matter how much her body complained Rainbow refused to let it have its way; if not for herself, then for Applejack.

"Well!" Montgomery's voice cut through the crisp morning air. He had finally reached the end of the trail of blood, where it made one final turn before disappearing behind the tree. "Looks like my trail ends here! You made it quite far, considering. Now, why don't you come out come out wherever you are!"

With a final deep, painful icy breath, Rainbow stepped out from behind her cover and into the open. Montgomery stood several meters away, hunting knife in hand, and his gaze piercing straight through her.

"Well well," the murderer laughed. "Looky here. 'Bout time you showed your pretty face." He bagan stepping forward whilst speaking. "Oh, and before I stab you to death, allow me to thank you kindly for running! Made this whole adventure much more… satisfying."

Although he was trying to hide it, Rainbow quickly took notice of how the man's arms and legs severely shook with each step he took. Montgomery had made the same mistake Rainbow did, in his hurry to catch them, and was not prepared for the cold. The icy wind cut through his snow-white t-shirt and cargo pants like a hot knife through butter.

"You're sick." Rainbow slowly began side stepping away from her hiding spot, in hopes of drawing attention from her wounded friend.

"Maybe a little," Montgomery continued his forward approach. "But the best of us usually are."

And then life finally threw another curve ball Rainbow's way, which in most cases meant something very bad, if not life threatening. However, this time it was in the form of a blessing, or more specifically, a muffled shout in the distance.

"What was that?" Montgomery spun his attention around to where the voice had come from, his wicked smile showing signs of falter.

"Well," Rainbow smiled at her sudden turn of luck, all the while struggling just to stay standing. "They were talking about you quite a lot on the radio. Maybe the search team has finally caught up!" Without skipping a beat the athlete cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted. "Help! Over here!"

She quickly regretted her decision as Montgomery's expression turned sour, and hateful, returning his attention to the girl standing in his way.

"No matter," the man tried to hide the fear in his voice. "All they will find is two bloody corpses."

And suddenly he was running, full speed towards Rainbow, knife at the ready.

It was luck alone that allowed Rainbow to dodge the first thrust of the serrated knife towards her chest. As the murderer charged the uneven forest terrain, mixed with the snow beneath his feat, caused him to momentarily swing off balance and stumble to his right, giving Rainbow the time she needed to dodge away from the fast approaching instrument of death. Quick to react under pressure, Rainbow Dash lashed out with her fist, managing to make hard contact with the wanted man's jaw and sending him back stumbling.

Her victory was short lived.

"You'll regret that," Montgomery spat into the snow.

"You know," Rainbow prepared for another strike. "I don't think I will."

Without further delay he charged again. The distant voices were growing louder, and this only served to rile the man up further. Montgomery knew he was fighting at a disadvantage, between the cold and his recent loss of blood, and his head was spinning violently. His steps began to miss their mark, and he was troubled to run in a straight line.

This time, as he charged passed Rainbow, she managed to slice her kitchen knife across his face. If it were similar to the man's own weapon perhaps that would have been the end of the confrontation, but the dulled blade managed only to gash open his cheek as he stumbled.

For a moment Rainbow took pause to celebrate her victory, believing herself to finally have the advantage. Her opponent, who momenta ago seemed angry enough to cut open a bear with his bare hands, was now hunched over in the snow dripping blood. With a new found surge of bravery she advanced forward, preparing for the final blow.

That was her first mistake.

As she neared the pathetic looking man she realized this. His cackling laugh was a giveaway that she had already made a bad move, but before Rainbow cold react Montgomery turned, and with a powerful kick from his legs shot his shoulder into Rainbow Dash's gut.

For a moment time seemed to stop as the icy air that had invaded Rainbow's lungs was forced out in a single burst of pain. Then that moment ended, and the girl found herself falling helplessly backwards into an icy embrace. At least the landing was soft.

Before Rainbow could react the man was standing high above her, his signature sadistic smile once again dominating his face. In a single, lightning quick thrust, the hunting knife arched down towards Rainbow's chest. Without thinking the girl moved her hand to intercept the incoming death, shutting her eyes tight in fear.

But nothing happened. She never felt the knife dive thirstily into her flesh, or make the final blow to end her life. Then again, maybe she had died and it was simply too quick to notice. If only she were so lucky.

A warm sensation dripped onto her cheek, like a drop of sunlight falling from the sky. Then another. Bewildered, Rainbow's eyes slid open. She immediately regretted the decision. It wasn't that Montgomery had failed to stab her, or that he simply decided not to, no. The hunting knife had passed straight through the palm of Rainbow's hand, but she had not felt a thing. Her hand had lost all feeling, and she could only watch in horror as more drops of her own blood fell from her palm and across her cheeks.

She tried to scream- really, she did- but nothing came out. Only her final breath as she watched her last moment playing out before her.

This was not how she had foreseen her weekend going. It was going to be a simple trip into the mountains with her closest friends, for the weekend of their lives. It was never supposed to be the last weekend of her life, and yet here she was, watching as the hunting knife tore free of its fleshy sheath and prepared to dive in for the second course.

"Time to end this."

And with that, the knife began to fall, like a pendulum towards the girl's heart.

Then something caught Rainbow's attention, out of the corner of her eye. In a sudden blur of movement the form of Applejack threw itself across the snow, stumbling clumsily into Montgomery before the knife made it to its mark and throwing the man into the snow. Applejack tumbled down on top of him.

"Applejack!" Rainbow attempted to move to her aid, but her body didn't budge; not a single muscle.

Montgomery, quicker than Applejack to react, kicked the farm girl's body off of him forcefully.

Rainbow believed once that the cynical smile the man performed so well was the most terrifying thing she would ever see. She was wrong. The expression the man boasted now, one bred of pure hate and bloodlust, was by far the most terrifying.  
"Stay down!" Montgomery screamed into the morning air, before plunging the knife into Applejack's body. "Just die already!"  
Rainbow dearly hoped that Applejack too was too numb to feel the blade in her flesh, but the whimpered groans of pain emitting from the girl put her hopes to rest.

Rainbow watched in horror as Montgomery raised the knife again, preparing for another strike on the very lifeless looking Applejack below him. The blade began it's descent.

BANG!

Montgomery's hand exploded, the hunting knife flying into the distance, and Rainbow's vision began to ebb and flow. Was it finally over? Had the police arrived?

To Dash's disbelief, Montgomery turned towards his attacker, and stood. It was like he hadn't even felt the bullet rip through his hand, which Rainbow quickly realized he probably hadn't. He took one weak, wobbly step forward. Then another.

BANG!

Montgomery stumbled back. From where Rainbow lay motionless Montgomery was between her and the rescue forces. She desperately wished she could see the faces of her saviours. A small hint of relief filled Rainbow as she watched her attacker's white shirt become red. And then he took another step forward.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

At long last, Montgomery fell.

He fell back, the snow welcoming him into its embrace.

Without the man obstructing her vision Rainbow could finally see her saviours. There, staring wide eyed in fear towards Rainbow, was Twilight, gun raised, and the rest of the gang rushing forward into the blizzard.

They were shouting things, but Rainbow could not make them out. She heard only the echo of gun shots. A strange, warm sensation coursed through the fingertips of the hand Montgomery had stabbed. Her head fell to the side, glancing to where Applejack was lying motionless. With a final icy breath, Rainbow's eyes slid closed.


	9. Final Chapter

Snowed In- Final Chapter

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The Heart Rate Monitor was a constant drumming against Applejack's sanity, each recurring 'beep' threatening to throw her over the edge. She had no idea how long she had been lying there, just listening to the devilish contraption. In fact, the farm girl could hardly remember anything at all. Echoes of voices filtered throughout her memory, but they were so scattered that she had no idea how they went together; they were just sentence fragments in an abyss of confusion.

"And what an evening it is!" the radio hummed, with a hint of static.

"I'll… I'll be right back, okay?" her voice shook nervously as she gripped the knife tight.

"You can't leave me now, not after I've just fallen in love with you!" tears of desperation fell upon numb cheeks.

"I just love how peaceful it is out here," a steamy night filled with snowfall.

"Boo."

Applejack's eyes blasted open as an image of Montgomery's wicked smile entered her mind. She quickly took in her surroundings, reminding herself of where she was. The hospital. The last several times she woke up she had been here, each time drifting out just as quickly as she had woken up. Like a bad television show Applejack tuned in and out of conversations, recognizing her friends, doctors, and even on one occasion several police officers in heavy debate. This time, as her eyes surveyed the room around her, she quickly concluded that she was alone.

It was night, and the only lights in the small hospital room were the thin rays of the crescent moon outside- intruding through the window above Applejack's head- and the dim glows of various pieces of machinery scattered about. It was not much to go by, but as her eyes adjusted Applejack collected her bearings. For the first time since the early morning knife fight Applejack did not feel like she was going to pass out again at moment's notice.

"Hello?" the farm girl called into the darkness, but received no answer. She tried again, to similar outcomes.

Fine. If no one was going to help her then she would just help herself. Willing her body to move, Applejack was surprised when her muscles actually responded, sore from an unknown number of days without use. Something was wrong, but Applejack couldn't quite place it. Finally maneuvering to one side of the bed Applejack placed her left foot against the floor below, willing it to support her weight as she made a forced effort to stand.

To her dismay, Applejack fell, tumbling across the hospital floor in a loud uproar of sounds as she accidently knocked over a small table supporting various unidentifiable tools. Something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. She had never even felt her foot touch the ground.

The racket drew attention from the hallway, but before anyone outside had time to see what had happened Applejack crawled back onto her bed. By the time the door opened, revealing four sets of curious eyes, Applejack was sitting upright at the foot of the mattress. Thankfully, she recognized all four sets of bright orbs, and to her relief the dim lighting of the room prevented them from seeing the mess she had created.

"Applejack!" Fluttershy was the first into the room, wasting no time before throwing her arms around the blonde beauty, and squeezing her in a tight embrace. "You're okay! I was- I mean, WE were so worried about you!"

AJ happily returned the hug with a little less vigor, and a quick "howdy, Fluttershy. Good to see you too."

"Darling!" Rarity was next up, leaning close to the hospital patient to brush a stray strand of golden hair from in front of her eyes. "You look terrible… but considering the circumstances I'd say that is pretty good! I mean, at least you are still breathing."

"Now hold on," Applejack addressed the diva as she backed away. "What are you-"

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie screamed, appearing out of nowhere directly in front of Applejack and firing off a confetti cannon from the corner of the room, shedding its occupants in various bright colors and streamers.

Applejack wondered how the rambunctious girl had it planted it there in advance, and the other members of the group simply stared at Pinkie expectantly.

"What!" Pinkie smiled guiltily. "It's my 'Applejack is finally well' party!" They continued to stare her down, until finally Pinkie gave in and began cleaning confetti from every surface in the room, but not before muttering "oh come on, I never get to use this thing…"

Finally Twilight made her way over to Applejack and addressed her.

"Look, Applejack, we're just happy that you are okay." It was then that the farm girl noticed the distinct lack of a certain rainbow haired athlete. "You've been out for a couple of days, and we were all starting to worry. For a while there it was looking pretty grim, and- Applejack?"

"Where is Rainbow Dash?"

The room fell silent for a moment, once again the monotonous beeping reigning superior.

"Oh." Twilight's eyes fell away from Applejack's gaze. "She… she hasn't woken up yet. Look, maybe we should talk about this later. You are still recovering, and-"

Applejack did not give Twilight a chance to finish before totally disregarding the librarian's request and asking anyways. "What d'ya mean she hasn't woken up yet?" The beeping quickened slightly.

AJ's friends were all now avoiding eye contact, instead feigning interest in the peculiar coloring of the walls, or intriguing tile patter on the floor, in high hopes that one of the others would draw Applejack's attention first. Fluttershy put on the worst act of all, blatantly avoiding eye contact as if she was never part of the conversation to begin with.

"What is it?" Applejack pleaded for one of them to explain what was going on. "What's wrong!?"

After a moment Fluttershy stepped up to the plate, her brows furrowed in concern; for whom, Applejack could not tell.

"Don't you remember the accident?" Fluttershy was hoping she had to explain as little as possible. "In… In the mountains, by your cabin?"

"Ah…" Applejack searched her memories, but everything came up blurry. "No, not really." Suddenly her eyes shot wide open. The last thing she remembered was tackling the crazy man from atop Rainbow's body. "Where is Montgomery? Is Rainbow oaky?"

"Montgomery is dead." Applejack had never heard Rarity speak with such a poisonous tone. "We made it just in time to save you, but yourself and Rainbow Dash were both out cold when we got to you."

Twilight took over the story from there, Applejack's gaze shifting over from the designer to the book worm.

"We rushed you both back to the hospital as quickly as we could," Twilight paused for a moment, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and then taking another slow breath in before continuing. "But you had lost a lot of blood by the time that we got here, and-"

Applejack couldn't take the delays anymore.

"Where is Rainbow Dash!"

Silence again fell upon the room. Applejack's eyes drifted from each of her friends to the next, but none of them made an effort to even acknowledge the question. This whole situation was getting quite tiresome in the blonde's opinion. She focussed on the one friend who had said the least this whole time.

"Pinkie?" The usually hyperactive girl slumped away, refusing to speak. Applejack sighed heavily. "Fine, then Ah'll find her mahself."

Determined to act upon her decision Applejack attempted to swing her left leg forward, dislodging her from her seat on the bed and towards the door, but nothing happened.

"Well, that's strange…" Applejack looked down at the patient scrubs she was wearing; the state of the mill cyan knee long apron. "Ah- Ah can't feel one of mah legs."

That's when she realized something quite horrifying. Her left leg- the same one which Montgomery had thrown a knife into whilst she had been running away, was the leg that was not responding. From her upper thigh down to her toes Applejack had no feeling at all in the appendage. Frightened and curious, she made a movement to pull up the apron and see what was wrong.

"No, wait!" Twilight saw what Applejack was doing and made an effort to intercept, but she was too late.

In a single movement Applejack pulled back the thin fabric. In the dim light of the hospital room Applejack at first couldn't tell that anything was wrong- her leg looked fine- but after staring for a moment she realized exactly what the problem was. Her leg wasn't there at all. Instead, in its place, a metal replica had been attached mid-way down her thigh.

"Oh." Applejack starred distantly at the thing like it was a foreign creature. "That's why mah leg wasn't workin' proper."

But Applejack wasn't one to give up. Even if her friends were not willing to lend a hand, and even if she was missing part of her of flesh, she was going to find Rainbow Dash. She had to. Rainbow was all she seemed to have left at that moment, and too many unanswered questions were roaming free around her head. Once she found Rainbow, Applejack was sure everything would be alright.

Taking a deep breath in, and leading with her right foot, AJ dropped from the foot of the hospital bed and onto the tiled floor below. Everybody was holding their breaths as they watched. For a moment- a single wonderful moment- she was standing upright and still. That moment ended when the farm girl attempted to take her first unsteady step towards the door, immediately falling on her new appendage and teetering to the left.

Lucky for Applejack Fluttershy was quick to react, becoming a supporting brace below her left arm and acting as a temporary second set of legs before she fell. With Fluttershy's support she took another cautious step forward, this one mildly more successful.

"Thanks," Applejack quickly muttered as she continued testing her new faculties.

Pinkie slowly emerged from her corner in the room, staring fearfully at the strange metal appendage. She took baby steps slowly across the room until she was but an arms distance away from AJ. "Umm…" Pinkie extended a finger towards the leg. "Can I…"

"Sure, Sugarcube."

Slowly, and cautiously, Pinkie Pie pushed a finger against the cold metal, before retreating a step back. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, she leapt forward, throwing her arms around Applejack's neck. Luckily the bed was still behind the girl to stop her from falling over. AJ felt salty tears dropping onto her shoulders.

"Oh, AJ…" Pinkie cried quietly, hugging the farm girl as tightly as possible. "I… I'm so sorry we weren't there sooner."

Applejack tightened her grip around the bubbly girl, holding her tight for a long moment before the two released each other.

"It isn't so bad," Rarity smiled reassuringly. She was a bad liar though.

"Now," Applejack turned to the lavender haired girl across the room from her. "Where is Rainbow, and why are ya trying to keep her from me? Ah'd think that after what we'd been through Ah would deserve to see her."

She couldn't explain it, but Applejack had a strong need to know that Rainbow was okay. It was something more than just being worried for a friend.

Twilight sighed heavily before speaking. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just…. Don't say that I didn't warn you, okay?" With sluggish movement the girl crossed back into the hallway, indicating for AJ to follow. "Come on, I'll take you to her."

As Applejack followed in Twilight's footsteps she couldn't help but notice the pained expressions of the others in the room. Fluttershy remained by Applejack's side, helping her with her unsteady walking, and the others followed behind. Pinkie Pie especially seemed almost scared of what was about to transpire. But why? AJ was beginning to question if seeing her friend was such a good idea.

Even with Fluttershy's help the farm girl realised how difficult it was to move, not just walking but every action she made. Her whole body was struggling to do its part, like the muscles had forgotten their purposes after a long period of misuse. Soon Pinkie was also by her side offering help. After several more agonizing steps Applejack found herself in the hospital corridor.

It was only mildly better lit than the girl's room. Sets of identical doors ran all the way down the hallway, and long tube lights spanned down the ceiling casting their sterile light. Across from Applejack's room were four old, wooden chairs, which she had no doubt had seen a lot of action the last couple days as her friends waited for her to awaken at last. Applejack still had no idea how many days, or weeks, had transpired since the accident with Montgomery.

But then again, maybe 'accident' was not quite the right word.

"So listen," Twilight spoke in a hushed tone as the group slowly crept through the unwelcoming hallway, probably as to not disrupt the other guests. "What happened in the mountains, Dash felt like she was responsible for some reason? She took all the blame upon herself for the whole thing, and mentally beat herself up pretty bad."

"That's ridiculous!" Applejack spat out, a bit louder than intended.

Twilight finally stopped in front of a door, only a few down from AJ's own, and the group pulled to a stop next to her. A folder posted on the door was titled in big, block letters, 'Rainbow Dash'.

"We know," Rarity joined into the conversation with a soft, careful tone. "And we tried to tell her that, but when you," she placed a finger against AJ's collar bone, "nearly died of blood loss, and she was the only one qualified to donate to you…."

"She was already so weak," offered Fluttershy. "She was in no condition to give blood."

Rarity continued. "You should have seen the way her face lit up at the chance to 'save your life'. We all tried to tell her it was too risky, but, well, the doctor confirmed that it was your only chance to pull through this."

Applejack stood, speechless for several moments while her friends awaited some kind of response. But she had none. Her emerald eyes passed over their faces, one by one, before focussing in on the name written on the door before them. Rainbow Dash.

'I'll…' Rainbow's voice echoed in the depths of AJ's mind. 'I'll be right back.'

The snow storm was pounding against the girls relentlessly, pulling at their remaining warmth and waiting for them to give into the cold. Applejack was bleeding. And helpless. And dying. She couldn't move. All she could do was stare up from her cushion on Rainbow's lap, up into the other girl's big loving eyes, and wish it would all be over. And then Rainbow grabbed the damn bloody knife.

'I'll protect you.'

"Applejack?" Twilight pulled the farm girl from the memory, concerned by the tears now running down AJ's freckled cheeks. "It's okay," she offered a hand and AJ took it, greedily embracing the warm fingers in her own. "It's going to be alright. Time… time is on our side here. We just need to wait this out."

With her open hand Twilight swept away the farm girl's tears.

"No." Applejack painfully laughed at herself; the kind of laugh created out of desperation. "I- I need to see her now," AJ pleaded. "I need to know that Dash is okay!"

Instead of offering a response Twilight turned her attention to Rarity, and gave a decisive nod of her head. The designer gripped the doorknob to Dash's room, and slowly began to spin it in her hand. AJ couldn't tell if she was trying to simply be as quiet as possible or if Rarity herself was afraid to enter the room. Judging by her worried expression it was the latter. After several agonizing seconds the doorknob stopped turning, and the door began to slide open with a light creaking that sent shivers up AJ's spine.

Even before the opening was wide enough for Applejack to get a clear sight of what was in wait inside the room, the beeping started. The Heart Rate Monitor pierced through the rooms silence in a steady rhythm. But it was slow. Between each beep was a gap that Applejack knew was not healthy.

"Well," Twilight's voice was a welcome sound, as it distracted AJ from the fear filling her heart. "This is it. Do you want us to wait outside? I know that you may want to see her alone."

"No," Applejack's eyes fixed on the dark room. From the hallway she could make out very little. "A think Ah'd like you girls to come with me. Besides, I don't know if Ah'm quite ready to walk on my own yet, and would appreciate the support; mental and physical."

Without any further exchange of dialogue, Applejack took a step forward towards the darkness. Fluttershy was quick to jump into action, moving along with AJ to support her weight. Close behind them was the rest of the gang as they entered the room, Rarity silently closing the door behind them.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Small lights filled the room, from various pieces of machinery scattered here and there. At the far end opposite the door was the hospital bed. The window that rested just above the head of the bed had its blinds drawn down and closed, the only light in the room being that casted from the machines. In the bed Applejack could just barely make out the form of the athletic girl, her chest raising and falling at a worryingly slow pace.

In contrast to the still, calm atmosphere of the hospital room, Applejack's heart was racing as fast as it could go as she took in the scene before her. The farm girl was frozen in her tracks; she knew not how to react.

"It's okay," whispered Fluttershy, taking a step forward and forcing Applejack to do the same. "She won't bite."

With Fluttershy's help Applejack made her way across the cold tile floor. The other's waited by the door, only Pinkie daring to advance enough to get a look at Rainbow before retreating back to Twilight and Rarity. With each step that Applejack grew closer to the bed she felt like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders. This was it. She would finally be able to see Rainbow again; to thank her for all that she had done.

Applejack's eyes were beginning to adapt to the dark, though she was not so sure that was a good thing. A quick glance at Rainbow revealed that she was a skeleton of what she once was. She was thin- well, thinner- and as AJ drew closer a scratchy, pained breathing became audible. And then she was there, standing at the side of Rainbow's bed. The bed rested at about hip height of the farm girl, and in order to get closer to Rainbow, Applejack- with Fluttershy's aid- slid down to her knees. The tile felt cool on her bare shins.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Fluttershy, no longer needed by AJ's side, reached up to the window and pulled the blinds up, allowing silvery moonlight to filter into the room. Then, as quietly as possible, she too retreated to where the rest of the gang watched in silence.

"Rainbow?" Applejack slid one of her hands across the bed's surface.

Finally, with the new source of light, Applejack got a good look at Rainbow's face. The first thing that came to mind was pain. Dash's breathing was stressed, each one a noticeable effort. The girl's brows were stressed, and her eyes clenched shut. It looked unnatural, as did the amount of wires and tubes connecting her to the various machines.

But then Applejack realized something.

The expression was not that of pain. It was a look of determination. Rainbow was fighting her hardest just to stay conscious.

"Rainbow?" Applejack whispered again. Her hand maneuvered under the thin hospital blanket, and found Rainbow's own.

It was cold. Ice cold. Even the skin had a strange, lifeless feel to it that caused Applejack to pause for a moment. The farm girl tried to intertwine her finger in Rainbow's receiving no response. But then she realized something else. It was the same hand that Rainbow had used to stop Montgomery's knife. Quickly Applejack ran her fingers across Rainbow Dash's palm, but found nothing. No scar, no bandages, nothing.

Without a second thought Applejack pulled away the hospital blanket.

Rainbow's hand was gone, replaced by a metal contraption mirroring Applejack's own. AJ couldn't help herself; she was staring. She didn't notice the grim expressions on her friend's faces, or the way Fluttershy was beginning to tear up. She didn't notice as the beeping began to speed up, or even when a certain rainbow haired girl's eyes slid open. She was too busy staring at the metal hand to see as Rainbow's head fell to the side, her magenta eyes falling upon the blonde girl sitting beside her.

"We match," Rainbow giggled in a silly little whisper, pulling Applejack from her trance. The metal hand closed gently around Applejack's fingers.

AJ's eyes shot away from the metal hand, and over to the loving orbs that stared back at her. It was strange, though. Despite the obvious pain, and the stress that Dash was experiencing, she had the most beautiful smile Applejack had ever seen. Aj's eyes began to water.

"Yeah," Applejack leaned forward slowly, placing a light peck against Rainbow's lips. "Ah s'ppose we do."

Three muffled gasps erupted from the far side of the room, and Applejack was rudely reminded that she was not alone with her best friend. She mentally cursed herself. While Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy offered confused glances Pinkie only housed a bright pearly smile.

"Called it!" Pinkie was practically giddy with excitement as she jumped up and down.

"Yeah," Twilight spoke in a confused manner. "I guess you did. Come on, girls," she laughed, "we should give these two a little private time, don't you think?"

Applejack watched in horror as the scene unfolded.

"Certainly," Rarity joined in, opening the door to the hallway. "These two love birds deserve it."

With a quick wink Rarity disappeared into the hallway, followed by Twilight and a heavily blushing Fluttershy who had nothing to offer the conversation. Pinkie, however, in her infinite ability to create laughter out of any situation, had one last comment to make before disappearing behind the door.

"Use protection!" The door closed, and the sound of a hand impacting Pinkie's head could be heard from the hallway.

Silence filled the room, interrupted only by a regular beeping.

"So," Rainbow's voice pulled Applejack's worried stare from the door and back the athletic girl. "That was, uh… weird."

As Rainbow spoke Applejack continued to notice what terrible condition she was in. The scary realization came to mind that, without the many tubes connected to her body, Rainbow may not have still been breathing.

"Now you listen here, Rainbow Dash," Applejack fought back the urge to simply smile, cry, and kiss the girl before her. Applejack spoke through teary gasps. "You'd better not die y'hear? You ain't allowed to do that- ya ain't allowed to break into mah life like that, and save me, and play hero, and then leave me stranded! Okay?"

"Mhmm," Rainbow simply smiled back.

But that was enough. Applejack quickly realized that words weren't good enough anymore. There weren't words to describe how happy she was to see rainbow's smile, or to hold her metal hand. Instead Applejack simply lay her head down on the mattress, satisfied to simply know that Rainbow was alive and with her.

"Hey, Apples?"

"Yeah Sugarcube?"

"When this is all over, do you think… Do you think maybe you and I could like go on a date? Or something?"

"Yeah, Ah reckon we could," Applejack planted a light kiss on Rainbow's cheek. "But how about we don't wind up in the hospital, missing body parts next time?"

"Agreed."

Applejack couldn't help herself. Despite the many warnings flashing through her mind the farm girl pulled herself up onto the hospital mattress, wrapped an arm around Rainbow's frame, and prepared for the long night ahead of them.

"Ah love you, Rainbow."

The athlete laughed in response. "We'll see."

The End 3

-Author's Note-

Whelp, there ya go guys. The final Chapter. Man, am I crossed writing that... Part of me is glad it is finally done, and another part of me wants to keep writing this story forever!

But, all good things come to an end. Sort of.

I've gotten a lot of great critique from all of you, and for that I am so grateful! Looking back over the story I've realized that there is a lot that can be done to improve it, and so I am going to pretty much be doing a full re-write of most of the chapters, and make this story as great as possible putting all of mine, and your ideas together! So please, keep an eye out for it ;)

Also, as this is the final installment of the story, I'd really like to know what you all thought of it! Please, please please please if you can, spare the time to write me a critique and i will love you forever! Also, if you like the humanized style, say that as well, as I am considering doing more in the same style! I can't wait to hear from all, of you, and thank you all again!

-End Note-


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